Come Back: A Lover's Prayer
by Alethia M.S
Summary: Cloud is looking for a way to bring Aeris back, but finds nothing. As he's about to give it all up, a strange woman comes and offers him her help. But, an unexpected turn of events has him helping this strange character up...
1. Pt I, Chapter 1: The Bringer of Hope

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**Come Back:**

**A Lover's Prayer**

**_Part One: Aerith & Cloud _**

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**_Chapter 1: The Bringer of Hope_**

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Cloud had fallen asleep at the Cosmo Canyon library while reading a very antique Cetra book. Red XIII had thought him the Ancient's language so he could realize this investigation. Ever since Sephiroth's defeat almost two years ago, Cloud had been looking for a way to get Aerith back all by himself, but this time he was forced to ask for his friend's help.

Since he started, he ate little and slept only when his body couldn't and wouldn't take another minute's work. Today had been one of those days. The book he had been reading was the last one in the whole canyon. But besides being quite boring and confusing, it held little hope.

When Cloud woke up, he was famished. His last meal, not a decent one, by the way, had been at least two nights ago. Even though he wanted to finish the book as soon as possible, his stomach wouldn't leave him alone, so he made his way towards the kitchen. On the way, he heard Red asking the weapon seller for him.

"No, I haven't seen him in almost three days. That kid sure is determined."

"Yes", answered Red, "and that's the reason I am looking for him. I have some encouraging news."

"I'm here, Red", Cloud said, walking down the stairs. "What news are you talking about?"

"It has to do with your investigation."

Cloud's eyes opened wide. "Have– Have you found a way to get her back?"

Red looked at him carefully. "Maybe, but I would like to talk with you in private about the source of this information."

"Sure," said Cloud, "let's go right now. I was going to grab something to eat but, I guess I can wait."

"No," said Red. "You're eating before I tell you. Follow me into the kitchen, please." Cloud was about to protest, but Red said, "If you want the information that I have, then you'll better come with me. You're as thin as a toothpick and pale as a sheet of paper. Besides, what I'll tell you might set you on another journey. So, you're gonna have a decent meal want it or not."

"Alright, you win… as usual."

Cloud followed his furry friend to the kitchen, where Red asked the cook to prepare Cloud a big meal, which disappeared in less than half an hour. Once his friend had finished, Red led him into his apartment. It was the same little hut that once belonged to Bugenhagen, and the same place where Cloud, Aerith and Tifa had learned about the Lifestream. It now belonged to Red XIII, and most of its furniture remained untouched.

"Wait here, I'll be back in a minute."

The blonde man sat at the table while the red beast went to the second floor. It seemed as if he wasn't alone, because Cloud could hear whispers, silence and, finally, Red's footsteps followed by somebody else's. When they emerged from the stairs, Cloud saw that behind Red was a young girl. She seemed in her twenties; she was tall, with dark hair. Her eyes were dark bottomless pools that reflected some kind of grief, and she possessed a sad aura around her that matched her eyes.

She spotted him and the grief upon her eyes grew. At least, that was the impression Cloud got. Her hair was shoulder length, and once Cloud paid more attention to it, he could see it had two different shades: it was black with blue strands scattered all over it. He couldn't tell what she was wearing, for she wore a far too long coat. She had black boots and seemed to be carrying some kind of weapon, for the coat had a small bulge on the right.

Cloud quickly got up and offered her a seat, which she accepted after a short nod. Then, Cloud sat across the table and offered her his hand while introducing himself.

"I'm Cloud Strife; it's a pleasure to meet you."

The girl doubted for a second then shook his hand. "My name's Shimmer Oroke and it's a pleasure to meet you too, Mr. Strife."

"Please, call me Cloud."

"You may call me Shim if you like. Has Red told you the reason I came here for?" Cloud shook his head. "I see. Should I tell him?"

"No," said Red, "I think it would be better if you could tell us a little about yourself first. If you don't mind, of course."

"I don't. As I told you, my name is Shimmer Oroke. I'm 26 and I live in Junon, although that's not the place I was born in. I come from a place you have never been to, and I don't think you will ever travel there. My people's rather shy, we rarely leave our country. We like to watch the outsiders from our home and it's forbidden for us to interact with them. We are known as the Observers."

"If it's forbidden to see us personally", asked Red, "why are you here?"

"I've never lived by the rules. I've always thought that self-exile will only lead to our extinction as a civilization. That's why I left my home along with my brother Daemon. He chose a path different to mine, so we parted ways almost five years ago. I haven't seen him since. But, that is not the point.

"When I was eighteen and my brother was sixteen, we left our home planet—"

"_Planet_?" asked Red and Cloud in unison.

"Yes", Shimmer answered. "I told you that you would never travel there. My people uses a special device called Shifter that allows us to jump from one dimension to another. It was created soon after our ancestors confirmed the Alternate Worlds theory almost ten thousand years ago. Since then, every Observer gets one at age fifteen. We are allowed to travel to any dimension we want to, but we cannot get involved with anyone there. We can't make friends, much less enemies."

"You said Alternate Worlds," Cloud said thoughtfully, "what do you mean by that?"

Shimmer gave him a puzzled look, "You mean to tell me that you have never heard of it before?" Cloud shook his head. Shimmer turned to Red, "what about you?"

"Very little. I think that my knowledge about it is minimal compared to your ancestors' research. However, my grandfather seemed to know a great deal about it, though he never told me much. He said it was just a theory that could not be proven. But it seems like he was wrong."

"Indeed he was," Shimmer answered. "The Alternate Worlds theory establishes that there are several different dimensions scattered all around the Universe. In each dimension exists a given number of systems and planets, and each planet has a duplicate, and sometimes triplicates. What I mean is that several equal planets with the same landscape and the same people exist in our Universe. The difference resides in the way things turn out in each planet.

"For example, here you defeated Sephiroth, but in some alternate reality or dimension, Sephiroth was a normal person, and in some other, you never met each other. There are an infinite number of alternate realities, one for each world that exists out there."

"Then, if there are so many planets, which is the real one? Which is the original?" Cloud asked.

"All of them are real; none is the 'original' one. That's why all of them are called alternate realities: each one holds the truth of what might have been in the others."

"How many dimensions have you been to?" Red asked.

"When we left, the first dimension we arrived to was this one. That was nine years ago."

"It was the time when I was in Nibelheim with Zack and Sephiroth… when he went mad." Cloud stated.

"That's right. It was no coincidence, let me tell you. The place we arrived to was Midgar. We knew little about your way of living and even less about ShinRa, so our first mistake resided on our ignorance. When we entered the city, we found ourselves wandering into Sector Two. We had no money, so we had to find a job. My brother tried in a couple of bars, and I went to some inns, but we had no luck. Finally, we went to the last bar in that sector, and we had the… umm… luck of finding Reeve and the Turks there. Although I don't know if it was good or bad."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold it right there!" Cloud said. Shim frowned at him, wondering what was wrong with him. "You met Reeve and the Turks?" Shim nodded. "And they never found about this… ability of yours?"

"Of course not! The fact that I'm an Observer is not superficial. It's not like when you're a shape shifter or doppelganger, in which case you have blue and red marks all over your body, besides the fact that your skin's completely white and your eyes are extremely big."

"A… doppel-what?" Cloud asked.

"A doppelganger or shape shifter," Red began to explain, "it's a creature that can change its shape into that of anyone or anything it touches. This it does by absorbing its victim's thoughts and life force. For example, Cloud, if a shape shifter touched you, it would transform into you, adopting your physical form and your memories and you'd remain unconscious until the shape shifter decided to wake you up and give your memories back. But just as the Alternate Worlds theory, the doppelgangers were just a myth…at least in our world."

"That's right," added Shimmer, "but there's something else: you could also die if someone killed the doppelganger before he turned you back to normal."

"Ouch…" was all Cloud managed to say, "But, why would it do that?"

"To take your place, and don't ask me why would it do that, because I don't know." Shimmer smiled. "And ouch doesn't quite cover it all Cloud. But, anyway, that is not the point. What I meant by it is that what people see in me it's just another human being. The only way for them to suspect that I'm different would be if they saw me shift. That's the reason ShinRa never found about our 'abilities', as you call them."

"I get it now… but, what do Reeve and the Turks have to do with this?"

"As I told you, we found Reeve and the Turks there. My brother broke into a fight with Reno, because Daemon is, or at least was, very impulsive, and Reno, well, you've met him. After that, Reeve arrived and convinced Tseng to take my brother into the Turks program."

"And what about you?" asked Red, "Did you enter the Turks as well?"

"Oh, no." Shimmer answered. "I'd never do such thing. I mean, I do like weapons and martial arts, and if the Turks had stood up to their original principles, I would've entered the association. But I'm not fond of unnecessary violence, much less murder and kidnapping. And the Turks' work had derived on that. In fact, Tseng had offered me a job, but I declined it because Reeve hired me in the Urban Development Department as his assistant. He's a very kind man; at least he was towards me and my brother. I stayed there for five years, but Daemon left two years after Reeve took us in."

"Why?" Cloud asked.

"Because he found out about ShinRa's doing, although I don't know how much information he got. I mean, he told me that he had found the truth and that he couldn't stay any longer. I tried to stop him, but he was furious like I had never seen him before. Reeve tried to help too, of course. He told Daemon that if he tried to escape, ShinRa would go after him, and the secret of the Shifter might be discovered."

"Didn't you tell us ShinRa hadn't found out about the Shifter?" Red asked.

"Well, I did say so. But Reeve is not ShinRa. He is, or was, part of it, but he wasn't the company, and the fact that he knew didn't mean he would give us away."

"Did you tell him or did he find out on his own?" Cloud asked.

"I told him, but I did so because I had to. It was a mistake, really. Each Shifter has a different shape. Mine's an S-Pad." Shimmer reached out to her backpack which Cloud hadn't noticed until then and took out a small writing pad with two silver 'S' carved on the cover. "The double S stands for 'Shimmer's Shifter'. But that's not the point. This pad's special, even for a Shifter, because I can write the characteristics of the place I want to be in and the pad will transport me there. Some months before my brother left, I was trying to find an alternate power source to Mako energy, and to do so I used my pad.

"It takes a while to transport from one place to another," Shimmer went on, "so I tried to do so a day when Reeve was supposed to go on a business trip to Junon. But, unfortunately, the trip was cancelled at the last minute, and Reeve came back to the office when I was about to Shift."

"What did he see?" Cloud asked. "I mean, what happens when you shift?"

"You begin to fade," Shimmer explained. "It feels strange, as if you were floating or something. Once you get used to it, it can be a very pleasant experience. But, it is not so fun to watch. It's like you were watching a ghost or something. It's spooky. So, what he saw was a weird semi-transparent image of me. Of course I noticed and reverted the process."

"And you had to explain everything to him," Red said. "But, why didn't he turn you in?"

"Because he knew ShinRa would use the Shifter for its own gain. I already told you Reeve's a very kind man, in spite of the spy thing and all. He really wanted to make a difference, but he couldn't confront ShinRa alone. That's why I offered him my help, but he declined it. He said that this wasn't my world, and that I had no reason to risk my life for it. So, I accepted that, at least for the time being."

"But your brother was determined to get away from them as soon as possible, right?" Cloud said.

"Yeah. He got mad at me because I told him what Reeve told me. You know, the fact that this isn't our planet and that we shouldn't interfere. He told me that the reason we had run away from home was that we didn't buy the non-interference thing. So, he accused me of double-crossing him, took his Shifter out and disappeared. Reeve covered him and told Tseng he had escaped to Icicle Inn. Luckily for us, Tseng wanted to get rid of him and didn't pursue him."

"Where did he go?" asked Red.

"I don't know. I left too, but not then. I left the same day you left Midgar chasing Sephiroth. I knew what was going to happen to Aerith, and I knew about the vow you would make, Cloud."

Cloud froze. Yes, he had made a vow a couple of months ago in the City of the Ancients. It was awful, but he felt it was the only thing left to do. But, he hadn't told anyone about it, so… how did she know?

"What's she talking about, Cloud?"

Now he was in for it. He couldn't hide it from Red anymore; he had to tell him, but…

"It's tough, Cloud, I know. But he's your friend, and you better tell him."

Cloud hesitated for a moment. He didn't feel too good. "How do you know about that?"

"I told you. I'm an Observer; I know everything about you. So, if you don't want to tell Red, that's okay. But I'll have to tell him, because that was a selfish decision."

"What is she talking about, Cloud?" Red asked once more.

"Remember when I went away two months ago, Red?" Cloud said; Red nodded. "Well, I went to the City of the Ancients. I was desperate; I thought I would never find a way to get her back. I thought I had failed her for the second time, and that made me very mad. When I got there, I went to the lake where Aerith's body rests, and I vowed to her and to myself that if I didn't find a way to get her back after reading Cosmo Canyon's books, I would attempt to do so in Nibelheim. But, if that didn't work either, then I'd… I would kill myself to be with her."

Red just stood there, awestruck. He didn't know what to say, or how to react. Finally, he shook his head. "I can't believe you did that! Do you really think Aerith would be pleased with it? By doing that, you would be throwing her sacrifice away! She gave her life so all of us could live, and you were willing to kill yourself? How could you even think about it?"

"Red, try to understand. He saw the love of his life die in front of his very eyes, and he couldn't find a way to bring her back. I… I know what it feels like to lose your significant other. Believe me; it hurts like hell… especially when you feel there was something you could've done to prevent it, even if that's not right."

Cloud had been staring at the floor when Red scolded him. When Shimmer stood up for him, he looked at her. Again, he focused on her eyes, and they seemed to carry even a deeper grief. "What happened to you?" He asked. Shimmer started and stared deeply at him. She seemed to be pondering his question.

"What exactly do you mean by that?"

"Your eyes… they carry too much grief". Cloud explained.

"Your eyes carry grief, too." She answered.

Cloud shook his head dismissively. "I know. But your eyes are deep because of that grief. There's no glow in them, as if you never had fun or joy".

"That's… because I met someone along the way, and when I left him, my happiness stayed with him, as well." Shimmer answered grimly.

"What happened?" Cloud asked. He noticed that the look on Shimmer had changed when she told them that last phrase, and he wanted to know why.

"Well," Shimmer said, "that story takes us to the reason I'm here for. When I left this planet, I used my pad to find a place where Aerith was still alive and where she had the Ancient's Heritage, as well. So, I arrived to a planet very much like this one. There were only minor differences between you and the people on that planet.

"For instance", Shimmer continued, "Tifa has a bar in Nibelheim and is married to a man named Frank. Cid married Shera and they have two kids. But, Cid hates heights, so he has a Car Shop in Rocket Town instead of his planes. Barret's wife is alive and they have a girl of their own named Julia, while Dyne and Eleanor, his wife, are taking care of their daughter Marlene; all of them live in Corel. Red lives with his parents and his race in Cosmo Canyon. Yuffie's parents are a very important family in Wutai, she has a pretty good relationship with them, and she doesn't like Materia at all. ShinRa isn't just an electrical power company, but an agency that takes care of various needs of the country, like water, food, houses, work and all that stuff. Rufus is the president, while Reeve's vice-president. They're both very kind to everybody. And the Turks are like the city's bodyguards: they take care of everyone who lives there. It's a nice place thanks to them and the people that lives in the city.

"Cloud's married to Aerith and they have twin kids, Zack and Sashia. Zack was named after Cloud's brother, who in this world was your best friend, Cloud." Cloud gave her a puzzled look. "I told you there are several differences between each world," Shimmer went on, "and this is one of them. Zack also died in that world; he had some kind of heart disease, I'm not really sure. And, since he helped Cloud and Aerith so much, they decided to name their first kid after him."

"What about Sephiroth?" Cloud asked. "Is he different, too?"

Shimmer hesitated for a moment. "Well, yeah… I'll tell you, but you have to promise me you will remain calm. Remember this is a different world."

"I will behave" Cloud said. "So, tell me."

Shimmer gave a deep sigh, and said, "He is Cloud's father."

Cloud and Red stood there, petrified. Cloud's eyes were open like saucers, and his jaw dropped.

"Guys, I told you that it is an alternate reality, that doesn't mean Cloud's connected with this world's Sephiroth in any way. Besides, in that other world Sephiroth is a very caring person, he's extremely nice and a perfect gentleman, just like he would've been here if Hojo hadn't screwed him up…"

Finally, Cloud recovered from his shock, and a question popped to his mind. "Who was he married to?"

Shimmer blinked a couple of times, as if the question surprised her. "Well… to tell you the truth… I never asked about that. In fact, Sephiroth never mentioned it… Although, I suspect he adopted both of his kids… why do you ask?"

"Nothing in particular," Cloud answered. "I was just curious about it."

"What about Vincent?" Red asked. "You didn't mention him before. What is he up to there?"

At the sound of the name, Shimmer's eyes grew even deeper. She looked away from them, trying to conceal her tears, but Cloud saw one running down her face and couldn't help but ask her about it again.

"Do you know him?" Shimmer didn't look at him, nor did she answer. "Shimmer, is that it? That's who you left? Is that why you're crying?"

Shimmer remained silent for a moment. Then, she wiped her eyes and faced them. "The answer to all your questions Cloud, is yes. I do know him, it's him whom I left and that's the reason I'm crying for. But, I'd rather not tell you that story just now… it happened only five months ago and I'm not over it yet… Instead, I'll tell you why I travelled there…

"As I already told you, I knew Aerith would die, and I knew Cloud would try to kill himself if he didn't find a way to bring her back. So, I travelled to that world in order to ask the Ancients for their help. Because, you must know that Ancients and Humans live in perfect harmony in that planet. So, I visited Aerith, and she somehow knew about me. She knew that I'm an Observer and that I wanted to revive her in this planet, so, she helped me willingly. Cloud knew about me, as well, and he asked me to give a message to you, Cloud. He asked me to tell you that once you get Aerith back, you marry her as soon as possible, because he couldn't live a single day without her, and he thought it would be the same thing with you."

"So, I said that… Well, it certainly sounds like something I would say, given the chance…" A glow of happiness appeared on his eyes. "So, what do I have to do to bring her back?"

Shimmer chuckled. "I'm glad you're so eager and excited. It makes your eyes glow even more…" Cloud blushed a little. "Hey, don't get me wrong. You're cute and all, but I'm not flirting with you, although it may seem the other way around…"

"T-That's okay…" Cloud stammered. "Please, tell me what I have to do… to bring her back."

"Pray," She answered simply. "You have to pray with all your might. And, of course, you need the Ancient's Heritage… Holy or White Materia, as you call it."

"But, Holy was lost after Aerith died…" Red said. "We don't know where it is".

Shimmer didn't reply. Instead, she reached into her backpack once more, produced a wooden box from it, and gave it to Cloud. "Open it slowly, look at it briefly and close the box as soon as you can."

"Why?" He asked.

"Because Aerith might leave, and I don't fancy go looking for her again". Cloud looked even more confused than before. "In order to revive an Ancient," Shimmer explained, "you need to combine Holy with their soul and introduce it in the Cetra's body. I already combined both Holy and Aerith's soul, because when I asked Aerith if Cloud or one of you could do it, she said that it was better that someone who had not been born in this world did it."

"I don't understand why," Red said.

"Normally, in order to extract a soul from the Lifestream, you have to leave one behind. If Cloud or any of you entered the Lifestream and asked for Aerith's soul, whoever did so would have to leave their soul in there to get Aerith's back. But, if someone that doesn't belong to this planet enters the Lifestream, their soul would be a stranger to the planet, and because of that, the planet will not claim it and the stranger can get away both alive and with the Cetra's soul in his or her possession." Shimmer explained to them. "What you have in that box, Cloud, is Aerith's soul trapped inside the White Materia."

Cloud looked intently at the box, and after a while, he opened it and stared at the little orb inside. The light that emanated from it was warm and cheerful, like…

"Aerith…" The name came out from Cloud's lips almost in a whisper, like he was saying it to himself. He felt his heart jump with sudden happiness, and the light inside the orb seemed to shine brighter than before, as if Aerith's soul had recognized Cloud's voice. He kept on looking at the orb, as if hypnotized.

"Cloud… close it," Shimmer said softly, leaning over and putting her hand over his shoulder. Cloud jumped in his chair, and then he closed the box. He had an almost sad look on his face, which Shimmer understood at once. "Hey, don't be sad… you're gonna see her again real soon, I promise."

"What else do I have to do…? Besides praying, that is," Cloud said, an eager look on his face.

"First of all, you have to go back to the City of the Ancients and retrieve Aerith's body from the lake. Of course, in order to do that you will need the Underwater Materia, which I believe is in Yuffie's hands…"

"That might prove to be a real problem," Red said, "because Yuffie's really fond of our Materia."

"We'll just have to borrow it for a little while," Cloud answered. "Besides, I don't really think she has some use for it, do you?"

"No, not really," Red said, "but if we're gonna ask her for it, we'll have to explain everything to her. And that includes Shimmer…"

"Then, I think that you should call everybody here." Shimmer said.

"To what purpose?" Red asked.

"If Cloud prays alone, it might take him a very long time to get Aerith back, but if everyone who travelled with you prays with him, then the process would take less time, and the rate of success would be higher."

"Then, let's do it as soon as possible," Cloud said, standing up. "Because, the sooner they know about this, the sooner we can go to the City of the Ancients and the sooner Aerith will be back with me… I mean, us."

Shimmer chuckled a bit, and then said, "You sure are desperate, huh?"

Cloud scratched the back of his head. "Hey, can you blame me for being in love?"

Shimmer then became serious, "No, I guess I can't…" A shadow of sadness fell over her face, but it soon passed. "Anyway, you're right. You had better call them. And, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go rest a while. Good night." She took her backpack and the box with the White Materia and went back upstairs.

Cloud and Red remain silent for a while, until Red said, "Do you trust her?"

"Huh?" Cloud said. "What do you mean by that?"

"Just that, do you trust her?"

"Red, why are you asking me that?"

"Just think about it. She comes here, out of the blue, and brings us a solution for this situation. Don't you find it a little suspicious?"

"No."

"No? Just like that?"

"Yeah. I mean, she can't possibly be working for any of our former enemies. ShinRa's a completely new company now that Reeve's handling it. Sephiroth's gone for sure, as well as Rufus and Hojo. So, what other possibility do you see?"

"I don't know. Maybe she has her own agenda."

"No, Red. She's been honest to us, at least in the matter concerning Aerith's resurrection. She hasn't told us about that other world's Vincent, but she has her reasons. She doesn't have any agenda of her own, at least not to harm us."

"Why are you so sure, Cloud?"

"Her eyes. Her eyes are truthful. That… and the fact that she indeed has Aerith's soul in that box. And if my word's not enough for you, then we'll have to wait until Reeve comes. I'm sure he'll be able to backup her story, or, if you're right, he'll let us know the truth about her, if there's something dark about her."

"But, what will we do if he doesn't back her up?"

"Then, my friend… then we'll see."

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Shimmer was walking down a barley field. The east wind blew gently against her body, pushing her forward. The sky above her was blue and clear, not a single cloud could be seen. The sun shined warmly on her, and she let herself fall on the soft soil. Suddenly, a voice called her… it was Vincent.

She stood up and began to search for him. But he wasn't there. As a matter of fact, neither was the field, or the sky. She was nowhere. She felt as if she were standing in a completely white room, where no walls or doors could be made out. Then, Vincent's voice came again, and he appeared in front of her.

Her heart sank, for it was not the Vincent she had fallen in love with, but Cloud's companion. He stared coldly at her, a stare that sent chills down her spine. He then spoke again, but it was not her name.

_"So, you came after all… Observer."_

"What do you want from me?"

_"Your life". _Shimmer was about to ask him what he meant, but a sudden change came upon him. His skin went completely white, and blue and red marks began to appear all over his body. His eyes grew extremely big, and turned yellow. Realization came upon her, as well as a sudden heartache.

"You're a doppelganger…" She whispered.

_"A keen observation, Shimmer Oroke"._

"How do you know my name?"

_"Oh, I've been observing you. And, thanks to that, I know all about you. I know where you are, and I'll be there in no time. Trust me…" _And with that, he vanished.

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Shimmer woke with a start. The dream… no, not a dream. It had been some sort of communication between the doppelganger and her. After all, Observers and Doppelgangers come from the same planet, so they could establish communication rather easily. And, this doppelganger knew where she was… that meant…

"I gotta tell Cloud." With that, she stood up, grabbed all her stuff and went downstairs to look for Cloud and Red.

She found them in the library, searching for the PHS numbers of their friends.

"Cloud, I gotta go." She said bluntly.

"What?" He asked. "Why? Aren't you gonna wait for the others?"

"Yes, but if I stay, I'll be endangering the whole canyon."

"Why is that?" Red asked.

"Because, a doppelganger's after me, trying to kill me".

"A doppelganger?" Cloud asked. "But, how do you know?"

"Doppelgangers and Observers come from the same planet, that's why we can establish communication bonds. I just had a vision, where one of them told me he knows my location and is coming this way to kill me. That's why I have to get out of here as soon as possible."

"But… Aerith…" Cloud said.

"I know," Shimmer replied. "Umm… I have an idea. I'll try to lose him, and then I'll head towards the Temple of the Ancients. Meet me there with everybody else. How does that sound to you?"

"It's fine with me. What do you say, Cloud?"

"Okay. We'll do that. Anything we can do to help you? We'll do anything we can."

Shimmer thought about it for a second, and then said, "Actually, yes. Can you lend me a Golden Chocobo?"

"What for? I thought you could shift to any place you wanted," Red said.

"Yes, but if I do, the doppelganger won't notice and he'll think I'm still here. If that happened, he would come here looking for me, and would tear the canyon down until he made sure I'm gone."

Red seemed to ponder this for a moment. "Alright, follow me." He left the library without looking back to make sure she was after him.

"Uh… sorry about him," Cloud said. "It's just that he's not sure about you. He's having a kinda hard time trying to decide if he should trust you or not."

"Well, I'll just have to win that trust the hard way, won't I?" Cloud shrugged. "Thanks for trusting me, Cloud. It really means a lot to me."

"Thanks for helping me out with this… by the way, are you taking the White Materia with you?"

Shimmer nodded. "It'll be safer if I have it. You don't mind, do you?"

Cloud shook his head vigorously. "No, not at all. In fact, I feel better knowing that you have it. I guess you have to leave now, don't you?"

"Yeah. I'll see you in a couple of days, 'k?"

"Yup. Good luck." With that, Shimmer left.

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"Okay, spikes. What'd you call us 'ere for?" Cid was sitting at the table, smoking a cigarette, as always.

"Yeah, it don't make me happy ta leave Marlene all alone, ya know?" Barret was leaning against the door, a not too happy look on his face.

"We have to wait for Reeve and Mrs. Elmyra to arrive. Be patient, you two." Cloud answered. He really hated their hastiness, considering he had waited almost two years to find a way to get Aerith back, and they had arrived only fifteen minutes ago.

Tifa and Yuffie were already there. Vincent hadn't arrived yet, but knowing him, he was likely to show up at the very least expected moment. All of them were sitting at the table, waiting for Reeve and Elmyra to arrive. After all, they had to travel all the way from Kalm, where Reeve picked Elmyra up.

Cloud sat with his head bowed, arms crossed and eyes closed. Shimmer had left two days before and they had no news from her, even though Red had given her his PHS. After a while, his thought shifted from Shimmer to Aerith. Boy, was he anxious to see her again! He felt as if his head were about to explode with anxiety… Just then, a knock came to the door. Barret opened it, and Elmyra, Reeve, Vincent and the Turks came in.

Everybody was shocked to see the Turks there, except Red and Cloud. Shimmer had told them that if many people prayed, Aerith would come back faster. So, they asked Reeve to bring them along. He forgot to mention that little detail to the others, though.

"What the beep is this scum doin' here?" Cid demanded.

"Well, well, well… if it's not Captain Smokey and Mr. Teddy Bear!" Reno cheerfully announced. "What a… marvellous surprise, if I may say."

"Reno, I told you to behave," Reeve scolded the red head.

"Yes, dad," Reno answered sarcastically. "Well, let's get on with this nonsense. I don't have much time to spare, I'm a very busy person, ya know?"

"Yeah, you probably have to visit some bar, or maybe a hooker," Tifa said, her voice had a hint of anger.

"No… I don't have any dates with you until next month, do I?" Reno answered. Tifa and Barret lunged at him, but Cloud stood in their way.

"Hey! I didn't call you all so you could fight, okay? I need your help! If you can't be around each other without fighting, then go away!"

"The leader has spoken," Yuffie said. "We shall all hear what the Spiky Head has to say!" Everyone stared at her. "What? I'm just trying to cut the tension!"

"Thanks, Yuffie". Cloud said, he then turned to Elmyra. "I'm sorry about that, ma'am. Hopefully, this won't happen again," He gave a sharp look to Tifa, Reno and Barret. The three of them sat down, as well as everybody else.

"It's okay, Cloud." Elmyra said. "I know this is difficult for everybody, since it's the first time we're all together since Meteor was destroyed."

"That's right, ma'am. Before I tell you the reason I called you all, there's something I need to ask you Reeve. And you too, Reno and Rude."

"What is it?" Reeve asked.

"Do you remember a couple of siblings called Shimmer Oroke and Daemon Falastur?"

Reeve frowned, Reno gasped slightly and Rude remained expressionless. After a while, Reeve said, "Yes, I do remember them. Quite a nice girl, a very hasty guy, both of them rather peculiar, in their own way."

"Of course I remember that beep Daemon! How could I forget?"

"Oh, Reno sounds rather scared," Yuffie said, "so Daemon is either a really nice person, or a bastard like Reno."

"For Reno, there might be another one: absolute demon." Reeve said.

"Figures," Elena said. "What did you expect, with that kinda name? So, do you remember them Rude?"

"Yeah. Daemon was always picking on Reno, so I usually had a good time around them. As for Shimmer… well, I didn't get to know her well. She spent most of her time with Reeve at headquarters."

"Why do you ask, Cloud?" Reeve said. "More importantly, how do you know about them? They're not exactly easy to track."

"Shimmer's here. Or was." Red cut in.

Reeve frowned again. "What was she doing here again? I thought she was going to... did she find a way to…" Cloud nodded. "That's… that's just great!"

Cid began to look back and forth between Cloud and Reeve. "Cut this beep code and explain yourselves!"

"Yeah" Tifa said. "All of us would like to know what's going on."

"I… well, Shimmer found a way to bring Aerith back." Cloud said bluntly.

"What?" Everybody asked.

"You… you sure?" Elmyra asked. "How, what do we have to do?"

"First of all, we have to go the Temple of the Ancients to meet up with Shimmer. Then, we'll need to get to the City of the Ancients to retrieve Aerith's body from the lake. That's why I asked the Underwater Materia from you, Yuffie." Cloud said.

"You idiot! You should've told me what you needed it for! I would've been here yesterday!" Yuffie blurted out.

"Yeah, we all would've been here yesterday, spiky head," Barret said. "You're not the only one who's been missing her, ya know?"

"So-rry!" Cloud said. "It's just that we needed to give Shimmer some time to… solve a couple of situations. She said she'd meet us at the temple ruins."

"Then, what are we waiting for?" Cid asked, standing up. "Let's get to the Highwind at once!"

"That's great." Cloud said. "You go ahead; Red and I have to talk with Reeve for a sec, if that's okay with you Reeve."

"No problem, Cloud." Everybody else left the room, while the three of them stayed there. "So, what is it?"

"Do you trust Shimmer?" Cloud asked.

"Why do you ask me that for? Of course I do. She'd never do anything to hurt anyone." Reeve answered.

"Is she really an Observer?" Red asked.

At first, Reeve seemed surprised at the question, and then he realized Shimmer had told them in order for them to believe her. "Yes, she is, as well as her brother. That's all?"

"Told ya, Red," Cloud said. Reeve gave them a puzzled look. "It's just that Red had doubts about her, but that's settled now, is it not, Red?"

"Yes. I'll have to apologize to her for my past rudeness."

"But, to do that, we'll better be going," Cloud said. "Let's follow the others, before they decide to leave us behind."

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All of them were in the Highwind. Cid had remodelled the entire thing, so it had levers again, as well as some new additions. Even so, all of them remained on their original travel spots. Reeve and the Turks were in the outside railing, while Mrs. Elmyra decided to rest on the bedrooms Cid had built on the ship.

Reeve went downstairs to get something to eat, for Cid had added a kitchen instead of the Chocobo barn, which now was in the cargo area and had room for three Chocobos. Soon after Reno followed him. Yuffie walked towards them, suddenly forgetting her motion sickness.

"Reeve, I wanted to ask you if you have any pictures of those fellows Cloud mentioned." She said.

"Oh, I think I have… let me see." He took his wallet out and began to rummage around the pile of pictures he carried there. "Here ya go." He handed her a worn out picture, where he, Daemon and Shimmer stood in front of the ShinRa building. "It is quite old, Daemon left almost eight years ago, and Shimmer did so almost two years ago. Mmm... here, there's one of Daemon alone." He handed Yuffie another one.

"Gee, he looks so innocent. I can't imagine him picking on Reno," Yuffie said.

"He looks innocent because it was taken eight years ago," Reeve said. "Even so, he fought with Reno at a bar, and that's why Reno doesn't like him."

"He only looked innocent. That guy's a killing machine," Reno said.

"Well… he's definitely a cute guy…" Yuffie said.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, _whoa_! Hold your horses, kid!" Reno said. "Don't tell me you're falling in love with him just because of a really old picture?"

"That and the fact that he seems to scare you very much," Yuffie said. "Thanks, Reeve. I think I'll take care of this from now on. Bye!" And with that, Yuffie went back to her spot, taking the pictures with her.

"Hey, that's mine!" Reeve called after her, but she ignored him. "Oh, well. Guess I'd have to get rid of them sooner or later…"

"Stupid ninja wanna be," Reno said. "Well! Let's get something to eat, eh boss?" He slapped Reeve on the back, almost sending him to the ground.

"Watch it, Reno!"

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"So, how have you been, Cid?" Cloud asked to his friend. "Busy, as far as I can see… Gee, this thing looks even better than it did at the beginning. Congratulations, you've done one hell of a job."

"Nah… I had a very good crew who did most of the job… and Shera," He admitted. "I really didn't do much, except the planning and shouting, hehe. But, I accept your congratulations. So, what's going on inside your spiky head? Besides Aerith, of course," Cid said grinning.

Cloud scratched the back of his head. "Uh, nothing in particular, really. I was just worried about Shimmer. She left three days ago, and we haven't heard anything from her yet."

"So… who's this girl, anyway? We're following her advice, but we know nothing about her. Do you?"

"Actually, I do. But I'd rather tell you once we finish with this matter."

Cid shrugged. "You're the leader…" He turned his gaze to the ground ahead of him, and saw a glint of gold running in the same direction as they were. "Cloud… you said this Shimmer had taken a golden Chocobo and was heading to the Temple of the Ancients, right?"

Cloud frowned and walked towards him. "Yeah, I said so. Why do you ask?"

"Because, I think we're above her," he said, pointing towards her.


	2. Pt I, Chapter 2: Aerith's Return

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**Come Back:**

**A Lover's Prayer**

**_Part One: Aerith & Cloud _**

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**_Chapter 2: Aerith's Return_**

****

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Ten minutes later, Cid had landed the Highwind on a little island near the one the temple was in, and everybody waited for Shimmer to catch up. When she finally did, Cloud could see she was very tired and had bags under her eyes. Her hair was a mess and she still wore her long and heavy coat, even though all of them were sweating.

Shimmer dismounted the Chocobo and, without saying a word, dropped to the ground, arms and legs stretched. "Oww…" She grunted.

Cloud, Reeve and Cid approached her, although she seemed not to notice them. Instead, she remained lying on the ground, her eyes closed and her lips mouthing some kind of song.

"Shimmer?" Cloud said. "You okay?"

The young girl opened her eyes and stared at him. "Sure! Just tired, that's all." After that, she turned her gaze towards Cid and Reeve, and she hastily stood up. "Whoops!" She said, scratching the back of her head. "Excuse me, guys! Hadn't seen you!" She bowed slightly, "I'm Shimmer Oroke, it's nice to meet you Cid." She shook Cid's hand. "And… It's nice to see you again, Reeve!" She hugged Reeve.

"It's nice to see you, too," Reeve said, after they let go. "What about your brother? Is he okay?"

Shimmer shook her head. "Never found him. And maybe it was because I never looked for him. I was busy with the White Materia and… and some other stuff." She finished, rather lamely.

"So," Cid said. "Are we ready to go?"

"Sure!" Shimmer said. "Red's Chocobo and I need some rest, though. Don't we, buddy?" The Chocobo warked happily, even though it looked awfully tired.

"Then go and sleep in the ship's bedroom," Reeve said. "We can have all the explanations later on."

"It's fine with me. What about you, boys?" Shimmer asked. Cloud and Cid both nodded.

Five minutes later, all of them were on their way to the City of the Ancients. Shimmer and Elmyra were asleep on the bedrooms, while everybody else was running and walking all around the ship. Yuffie had tried to steal Reno's money for the third time since they had set out from Cosmo Canyon, and he was chasing her all over the place with his nightstick out.

"Come here, you beep brat!" He yelled.

"Catch me if you can, old man!"

Cloud just shook his head and tried to ignore them, but Yuffie almost knocked him down and Reno nearly beheaded him with his electromagnetic rod. Finally, Yuffie slammed herself against Barret, and Reno fell on top of them. Obviously, Barret was less than pleased with this, and got them both by the collar.

"Okay, you beep brats! You betta stop running around like beep or I'll beat the stuffing out of ya! Ya hear me?" Reno and Yuffie nodded. "Very well, then. Now, behave or I'll have you pinned to the wall." With that, he let them go.

Once they were out of Barret's earshot, Yuffie said, "Whattsamatter with that old timer?"

"Yeah," Reno said, "I mean, it's not like we hurt him, is it?"

"Of course not! He's a human wall, nothing can hurt him!" Suddenly, she stopped dead on her tracks, as well as Reno. They eyed each other suspiciously, and then backed away.

"Why am I talking to you?" They both yelled in unison. Then, each took a different path.

"Jerk," Yuffie whispered.

"Brat," Reno said.

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Shimmer was in the City of the Ancients, near the shell shaped house. She walked towards the lake to see her reflection on its surface. She was about to reach it, when her heart beat as if wanting to get out of her chest, making her fall on her knees. She clutched her chest, and then she began to lose her breath. Soon after, she heard someone approaching her from behind, someone who was laughing.

_"I told you I'd be here in no time, Shimmy darling." _It was the doppelganger's voice, and it was clearer than ever. _"What's the matter? Why don't you talk to me?" _He asked mockingly._ "Well, I want you to be able to answer me, so I guess that this doppelganger-detecting thing can be turned off, can't it?" _And with that, Shimmer's chest stop hurting and she could breathe again._ "That's better, isn't it?"_

"What do… you… want… from me?" She asked, breathing heavily.

_"I already told you that I'm gonna kill you. That's my job, I was sent to look for you for that very reason."_

"Who sent you?" She demanded. "Why do you have to kill me?"

_"I'm going to kill you because you're our enemy, an Observer. As for who sent me, that's not of your concern, because you'll never meet them. Now, it's time for me to leave. We shall meet soon enough, though. So, see ya later." _

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Shimmer woke with a start, breathing heavily and her heart racing. She looked around, and found out that she was alone in the bedroom. Then, a knock came on the door.

"You awake?" Vincent's harsh, deep voice. Shimmer couldn't help but to think that it was a voice very similar to that of the doppelganger. "Shimmer?"

"Yeah, I'm awake." She said. "Are we there yet?"

"We arrived twenty minutes ago. We're going out as soon as you're ready. We'll wait for you at the cockpit." Shimmer heard his footsteps echoing away from the dormitory.

She took her backpack and brushed her hair before going up to the cockpit. Then she took her cloak off and put her jacket on. While doing so, she remembered her silver gun. She took it out her backpack and read the inscription in its barrel.

"_S & V_," She whispered. "I'm sorry, Vince, I really am…" She took the gun and hid it in her jacket's inside pocket, then left to join the others.

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"Sorry to keep you waiting". She said. "I'm ready when you are." All of them stared at her. "What, is there a spot on my face?"

For the first time since they met her, they could see what she was wearing. She had black ankle boots, black leather pants, a navy blue blouse with dark red roses and a leather jacket with two pockets on each side. She had a couple of tattoos: one on her neck, which was the Observers' symbol, and one they couldn't see, for it was on her shoulder. That last one was a violet _S_ interlaced with a dark red _V_ over a green leaf. She wore two different earrings, one was a little pearl and the other was an earring with a cross hanging from it. Finally, she had a golden chain with a little angel pendant.

What amazed most of them was the fact that, without the cloak, she was a completely different person: she looked younger and happier, so to speak. Reno gazed at her up and down, and down and up again.

"Guys, what's wrong? Quit staring at me like that! I should've brought my cloak…" She whined.

"No!" Reno snapped. Shimmer raised an eyebrow. "I mean, you look prettier this way, even…"

"Say 'sexier' and I'll kick your butt, Reno," Reeve snapped. Reno gave him a kinda angry look, which he ignored. "But, you do look better like this Shim. And I'm not flirting, Elena." Elena was giving him a surprised look, but then she looked away.

Shimmer blushed and stared at her boots. "Uh… thank you, guys… hehe, it's been a while since anyone said something so nice to me… it really means a lot."

"You look really nice, Shimmer," Cloud said. "And… you look even cuter when you blush." That remark made her blush even more. "Haha. Hey, don't get me wrong. You're cute and all, but I'm not flirting with you, although it may seem the other way around…" He laughed a bit more.

"Hey, I said that first!" She said, laughing. "Whatever. I'm ready whenever you are."

"Then, let's go. I wanna get there before night fall." Cloud said.

"That's all well and good," Reeve said, "but how are we gonna bring Aerith back? You didn't tell us everything back at the canyon."

"How much do you know?" Shimmer asked.

"We only know that we must retrieve Aerith's body from the lake and that's all." Tifa answered.

"After that, you have to pray, while I recite the Cetra Prayer to join both Aerith's soul and body."

"Shimmer, you never mentioned the prayer to us," Red exclaimed.

"I know," Shimmer said. "And I'm sorry, but Aerith asked me not to mention it until now, but I don't know why."

"Aerith?" Elena said, "But, she's dead. How did she tell you so?"

"That's part of what we'll explain to you once this is over," Cloud said. "Right now, the only thing you have to know is that Shimmer has already retrieved the White Materia and Aerith's soul is in it. So, now that you have the important details, we may go on." And with that, he and Shimmer began to walk through the Sleeping Forest towards the City of the Ancients.

Red and Reeve followed them, as well as Cid and Vincent. Elmyra went with them along with Rude and Elena. Barret, Reno, Tifa and Yuffie stayed behind, trying to decide if they should trust Shimmer, much like Red had done before.

"This whole thing is senseless. I mean, we're following a complete stranger into hell knows where, without any evidence that proves she's not our enemy," Barret said. "But, of course, what did you expect from Cloud? That spiky headed brat would do whatever to bring her back…"

"Wouldn't you?" Asked Yuffie. "I mean, if you found a way to try and bring your wife back, wouldn't you take it? Even if it seemed pointless or hopeless?"

"I agree with both of you," Tifa cut in. "If I were in Cloud's position, I too would try to bring Aerith back. But, on the other hand, it is true we don't know anything about this girl… For all we know, she could be our enemy or after Aerith's back, she might even try to get advantage from it."

"She won't. I do know her, and she's not like that. You're all worrying for nothing, as always," Reno said. "If I were you, I'd be more worried about bringing that Ancient back to life and _then_, I'd the ask questions. But, of course, you won't follow my suggestion. So, I'll leave you here with your little dilemma, I'm gonna see if my boss needs me." He bowed slightly, and then disappeared into the darkness of the Sleeping Forest.

"We should do as he says, and I know that it sounds weird coming from me… but he's right," Yuffie said. "Cloud said it's okay to trust her, and he's the leader. So, let's trust him, as we used to. After all, he got us out of the Northern Crater alive, didn't he?"

"He did, and he guided us well in our journey… let's do him a favour, for a change." Barret said.

Tifa bowed her head, thinking and pondering all this. She wanted Aerith to come back, after all, she loved her as a sister… but, in a way, she was jealous. Jealous that Cloud had made her aside for almost two years, only to try to revive Aerith. And now, she was afraid that he'd make it, because if he did, he would certainly choose Aerith over her, like he had done in the past. But, why couldn't she feel happy for them? They were her friends, she loved them both, so why? Why was she jealous? After all, didn't they say: if you love somebody, set them free? And what about: it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?

"Teef?" Barret called her.

"Huh?" She said. Then she realized she had been thinking and drifting. "Yeah, let's… let's do him a favour."

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"Cloud…"

"Mmm?"

"Keep Vincent away from me."

"What?"

"Just do it, please."

Cloud gave his companion a puzzled look. They were sitting near the lake in the shell like house. Cid, Red and Reeve were talking softly in the house entrance, while Vincent leaned against a tree, away from them, as always. The rest of the group hadn't arrived yet.

"Why do you want to be away from him, Shim?"

"It's just a hunch… maybe it's nothing to worry about, but I'd rather not risk this chance to get Aerith's back."

"I told you I'm gonna help you if I can, but I can't keep Vincent away from you if you don't tell me all that's going on."

Shimmer sighed heavily, and then bit her lower lip. After a while, she said, "remember I told you that a doppelganger contacted me?' Cloud nodded. "Well, there was a part of that dream – or vision – that I forgot, and I recalled it when Vincent went to wake me up in the Highwind."

"What is it?"

She sighed again. "Before the doppelganger appeared, I saw Vincent. Then he transformed into the doppelganger, although the correct thing to say is that it recovered its original form."

Cloud pondered this for a moment, after which he said, "So… you think Vincent's the doppelganger?"

"It's just a hunch… a feeling I get when I'm around him. It's as if my heart wanted to jump off my chest, but it is faint when the doppelganger is not in his original form. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, maybe I'm falling into some sort of trap… The truth is that I don't want to risk any of you, so… would you please keep him away from me? At least until I'm sure."

It was Cloud's turn to sigh. "I really don't think Vincent's a fake, but you know more about this stuff than I do. So, yes, I'll keep him away from you, and I'll keep an eye on his movements, too."

"Then, you're not gonna have much work, are you?" She said, obviously referring to Vincent's lack of movement and speech.

Cloud let out a soft laugh. "Yeah, I guess you're right!"

"Look, here come the others." Shimmer waved to them. "Took you long enough, slowpokes! Well… slowpokes and Mrs. Elmyra!"

Elmyra laughed. "At least one of us can still joke around… I appreciate it, Ms. Oroke."

Shimmer walked towards her and took her hands. "Call me Shim, and I'll call you Elmyra. Is that okay with you?" Elmyra nodded. "Good! Now, let's get on with this! It's getting late, and some of us are falling asleep." She said, looking towards Cid, who was nodding with his eyes half open, half closed. Most of them laughed, but obviously, Vincent and Cid did not.

"Okay, then. Yuffie, give, I mean lend me the Underwater Materia, please." Cloud said.

Yuffie reached into her pouch and got out a purple Materia. She handed it to Cloud, and then he equipped it in his armband, and dived into the lake.

He swam, and swam, and kept on swimming. The lake was deeper than he had imagined, and he thought that it had been a very good idea to bring the Underwater Materia with him. Finally, after some time, he finally saw her. She looked exactly the same as she had two years ago: resting peacefully, as if nothing had ever happened. But Cloud knew it wasn't like that. She was dead.

_"But, not for long," _he thought, _"not for long. That's a promise, and I won't break this one…"_

He swam towards her and lifted her lifeless body from the soft sand, and then took her by the waist and swam towards the surface. With the burden of Aerith's body, the journey seemed longer and wearier. But, finally, he saw the light of the surface. When he got out, Cid and Reeve helped him with Aerith's body, and they laid her over one of Shimmer's blankets while she dried her face.

Cloud knelt next to Aerith and began to push away strands of hair off her face. Then, all of a sudden, he fell apart. He began to cry all the tears he had held back since she had died. Shimmer told the others to get inside.

"But, we can't leave him like this…" Tifa said.

"He doesn't want you to see him like this, so please get inside." Shimmer replied.

"How do you know he doesn't?" Tifa asked defiantly. "What do you know about this? You never met her; you don't know what if feels like!"

"I _do_ know what if feels like! And _I_ don't want you to see him like this! So get inside! _Now_!" She had stood up and faced Tifa, so she could see Shimmer's tears flowing and her cheeks reddening. "Tifa, get inside, please… all of you, please go inside…" Her voice choked with those last words.

Barret walked towards Tifa and took her to the house. Everybody else followed them, except Elmyra. She went towards them, and she crumbled too. She and Cloud sat there, next to Aerith's body, and then he began to cradle her in his arms, crying harder than before.

"Sorry… I'm so sorry… please… forgive me…" He said between sobs and tears. "I'm sorry, Aerith…" Then he looked towards Elmyra. "I'm sorry ma'am, I'm so sorry… I… I failed her, I didn't mean to, but I couldn't… couldn't protect her…"

Elmyra shook her head. "I'm sure she never thought that, she knew you did the best you could, as well as I do. So, don't torture yourself Cloud, please."

"Still, I… oh, Aerith, I'm sorry! Please, please forgive me… please." His tears began to flow steadily, but his sobs grew less and less.

Shimmer wiped her eyes and knelt next to him. "She has nothing to forgive, because you did nothing wrong… The only thing left for you to do is bring her back, so… let's get inside."

Cloud nodded and wiped his face. "Sure, let's get inside." He stood up and lifted Aerith's body in his arms.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Shimmer said. "Put her down again… we have to close the wound first."

Cloud did as she told him and put her on the blanket again. Then, for the first time since he got her out of the lake, his gaze fell on the two-inch long gash on her midsection. He took his trembling hand and covered the wound with it, hoping against hope that when he put it away, the wound would not be there anymore. But, obviously, it remained there. He felt tears flowing down his eyes again as he moved his hand to her back and found the corresponding gash there.

"Shim, how are you going to close the wound? Materia won't do, nor will any kind of items, so… how?" He asked.

"With the White Materia," She answered. "If we take a regular Restore and expose it long enough to Holy's radiance, then the Restore Materia will be able to close the wound."

Elmyra stood up. "I'm going to ask Yuffie for one, I won't be long."

When Elmyra was out of earshot, Cloud looked towards Shim and said, "Thanks."

"What for?"

"For telling them to get inside… I was never really good at showing my feelings, and I guess that when I saw her like this… well, it all just came out. I really didn't want them to see me like that, but I just couldn't hold it back."

"Hey, it's okay…" she said, a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I really meant what I told Tifa. I know how you feel, so… you have nothing to thank me. I should be thanking you for your trust, although I already did that!" She was trying to sound cheerful, so he wouldn't feel depressed anymore. But the truth was that she wasn't very happy, either.

Just then, Elmyra came out of the shell house with one small orb on her hands.

"Here it is, Shim." Elmyra handed her the Materia. "Yuffie gave it to me willingly, such a nice girl."

"I wish she were like that always and not only when we need her help…" Cloud said. "Well, Shim, do what you must and let's get this over with."

Shimmer nodded and produced from her backpack the wooden box that contained Holy and took the Materia out, holding it near Restore. Soon after, Holy began to shine intensely, giving some of its power to the other Materia. After a few seconds, Shimmer put Holy away and gave Cloud the Restore Materia. He accepted the tiny orb, but gave her a puzzled look.

"What?" She asked. "I can't use Materia, I've never known how. You should do it."

Cloud shrugged and knelt next to Aerith. He put the Materia in his armband and cast Cure on his fallen companion. Much to his and Elmyra's surprise, the wound began to close slowly, and after a moment that felt as an eternity, no sign of the gash was there.

Cloud sighed heavily. He was one step closer to getting her back, and he couldn't wait any longer. His almost two year long quest was about to end and, for the first time since Aerith's had died, he felt happiness all over his heart… "But we still have to pray…" he whispered softly. Then, he lifted Aerith in his arms and began to walk towards the shell house, with Shimmer and Elmyra close behind.

**_.,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- _**

"About time!" Reno was the only one to greet Cloud and the other two when they got in the house. But this greeting won him a smack on the back of the head, courtesy of Yuffie. "Why you!" He was about to yell at her, but when he met Yuffie's serious gaze, he shut up. "Sorry…"

None of the others spoke, nor moved. Shimmer and Cloud went ahead, but found themselves with the weird fish blocking the way. Shimmer kicked it and it disappeared.

"There ya go!" She announced cheerfully.

"What the heck!" Cid said. "We tried to open that beep thing while you were out, and all you needed to do was kick it?"

Shimmer blinked. "Uh… I'm lucky, I guess… that and the fact that I have Holy with me."

"Oh." Cid replied.

Cloud shook his head, the hint of a smile playing on his lips, and then he began to walk the crystal steps towards the Forgotten City. Each step echoed all around them, and more than once the eerie sound sent chills down Shimmer's spine.

The steps seemed to go on forever to Cloud, as it had seemed when he got Aerith's body out of the city to deposit her in the lake. Back then, he was full of sorrow and felt downright hopeless and helpless. But now, with Aerith's in his arms and Shimmer walking beside him holding the key to his redemption and happiness, he was filled with joy and excitement. He couldn't help but to smile for good this time, while in his mind the same thought kept on coming: _"Just a bit more, Aerith… just a bit more and we'll be together… forever"._

His thoughts were interrupted by Shimmer's words, "Here we are, Cloud. The Forgotten City of the Ancients".

Cloud and the others stopped and beheld the crystal city that lay before them. Cloud and the members of AVALANCHE had already been there before, but their breath was taken away as if this had been their first time there. It was a place like no other: All the buildings were constructed in the same fashion, but each one was completely different from the one that stood next to it. It reminded Cloud of the way in which all humans are equal, but at the same time, each is different from the other. And, for some unknown reason, he thought that maybe that was the idea the Cetra wanted to transmit to everybody else. He felt it just like he felt the Cetra's' voices coming from the houses in the outside level. This made him glad, although he ignored why. Maybe it was because he loved Aerith, or maybe because he felt safe in there.

While Cloud pondered all that in his mind, a sparkle on of the houses drew his attention. For the first time since he had been there, he paid attention to the buildings' material. All was crystal clear, just like the lake that surrounded the water altar where Aerith had fallen to Sephiroth's blade. The vision that had haunted his dreams almost every night since Aerith's departure had taken place in that same spot. He wondered if all would end there as well.

As if reading his thoughts, Shimmer said, "Cloud, we must take her to the centre of the altar to start the, uh… ceremony, if you really want to call it that."

"I don't care what it is called, as long as it brings her back." He replied.

Shimmer nodded, and then turned to the others. "All of us won't fit up there, so Mrs. Elmyra and Cid, could you come up with us?" Both of them nodded. "As for the rest of you… Barret, Yuffie, Tifa, Reeve and…" Her gaze fell on Vincent, and a shiver ran down her spine, followed by a sudden heartache. _"It's him" _she thought, _"he's the doppelganger… too late to worry now, I'll just make sure this goes right". _"… Vincent, each of you stand in one of the pillars that lead to the altar. The rest of you, stay down here. I mean no offence, I assure you."

"What will we do?" Elena asked. "Don't tell me you brought us here just to watch you, guys".

"No, as I already told you, you will pray."

"How?" Rude asked. "What are we supposed to say or think or whatever?"

Shimmer thought for a moment, then said, "Think… think about her when she was alive. Think of the time she was still with you…"

"She was never with us," Reno said. "Well, not in good terms, anyway."

"Then, just picture her anyway you remember her. But, try and make it a happy and decent vision, please." This she said to Elena and Reno… exactly in that order. "Now, let's get on with this."

Cloud, Elmyra, Cid and Shimmer climbed to the altar, while the others took the positions Shimmer gave them. Once in the altar, Cloud laid Aerith's body in the centre, her head resting in his lap. Cid knelt to their right and Elmyra to their left. Shimmer remained on her feet behind them, an old piece of parchment in one hand and the wooden box that contained Holy in the other.

"So" she said, "are we ready?" Everybody nodded. She then walked over to Cloud's side and took the White Materia out. After a moment's gaze at its bottomless centre, she put it in Aerith's hands and laid her arms across her chest. Seeing her laying there, with such a peaceful expression upon her face, she remembered something the other Cloud had told her before coming back to this world:

_'It's like having an angel by your side every single day…' _

_'You love her very much, don't you?' _Shimmer had asked.

_'I'd die if something happened to her.' _Cloud answered simply.

Remembering that, a tear threatened to escape her eyes, but she held it back. _'This is no time for tears, you silly girl. If you can't be happy, at least let them be…' _

She stood up and said, "Okay. Now, close your eyes and begin to recall the time when Aerith was alive, recall all the happy memories you have, everything she said to you, her cheerfulness, and her kind personality, everything…" She walked in front of Cloud and knelt there, and began to whisper the Cetra Prayer Aerith had given her:

_From deep inside us,_

_The light of hope is shining_

_A prayer to guide you_

_The stars are crying a tear_

_Let all the hurt inside you die_

_Take the pain away, leave the sadness behind_

_Find a way to bring back yesterday_

_Forget how fragile we are_

_Trust love… believe in it_

_May our spinning prayer reach your distant soul_

_May it guide it to your earthly body_

_And if the darkness is to keep us apart_

_Our hopes will lead you with their light_

_The echoes bound a joyful sound:_

_Have hope, have faith, have love_

_It's all over now Aerith,_

_You may come back now_

She repeated it over and over again, while everybody else recalled the moments they had spent with Aerith, and all the things she had told them in the short time she was with them. Soon after they started to pray, the entire city was filled with her voice:

_'Don't give up, never give up hope.' / 'I want to meet… you.' / 'That's a quick change of heart.' / 'I'm all alone now.' / 'Let's go… bodyguard!' / 'I feel safe just having it.' / 'It would have to be Cloud.' / 'Don't worry. I'll put her somewhere safe.' / 'Let's see how compatible Cloud and I are.' / 'It's full of people and noisy.' / 'I knew that Cloud would come for me'. / 'I'll be back when it's all over.'_

_It's all over now Aerith,_

_You may come back now_

While she repeated the last sentences, Holy began to shine. But not only that; it began to fade and unite with Aerith's body.

Cloud kept on praying, oblivious to the faint light emanating from Aerith's body:

"Please come back, please come back to us, come back to my side… I need you; I want you back… I… I… I love you, Aerith."

_It's all over now Aerith,_

_You may come back now_

"I love you…"

As if magic words had been spoken, the light emanating from Aerith's body began to grow stronger, until everyone opened their eyes to witness a miracle:

Aerith was surrounded by white light and by the Lifestream that emerged from within the lake, which were merging her body, finishing with a blinding flash of light that made them close their eyes again.

"Cloud… Cloud, is that you?"

The soft voice came as an angel's whisper to his ears. He slowly opened his eyes, wishing and hoping that the past few days were not just a dream, but something real.

The first thing he saw were her emerald green eyes, filled with a tender glow as he hadn't seen in anyone else. After that, came her delicate nose, and finally, her rosy lips. He ran his fingers through her chestnut hair, then caressed her cheek and softly touched her lips. He felt her hand reaching out to his face, and trembled at her touch. Then, a couple of tears escaped his eyes.

"Don't cry…" she said softly, her head still on his lap. "Crying means you're sorry…"

"I am…" he choked.

"Well, don't be. I don't want you to be sorry, I want you to be happy to have me back, because you did nothing wrong… and I'm happy to be back with you…"

"She's right, Cloud" Elmyra said, tears flowing freely down her face.

Aerith sat down, glancing at her adoptive mother for the first time. "Mom… thank gods you're alright!" They hugged each other, both of them crying now. "I missed you…"

"Hey…" Cid said, he was choking too. "W-we missed you too, ya know?"

"Oh, Cid…" Aerith let her mother go and hugged him too. "I missed you too, grumpy." She giggled.

"So, I guess I'm done here…" Shimmer said, standing up. "I'm… I'm going to… uh…" Aerith was giving her a sisterly look, filled with thanks. "No, you… you don't need to…"

Aerith stood up, stumbling a little, but Cloud helped her out. "I do. I'd feel terrible if I didn't thank you, Shimmer."

"H-How… how do you know my name?"

"You were in the Lifestream, and I heard everything from inside Holy. So, thanks Shim, for bringing me back to Cloud and mom and all my friends. I owe you everything." She walked over to the other girl and hugged her tightly. "If there's anything I can do to help you, just… just name it."

It was Shimmer's turn to shed tears. "The only thing I'm missing is the only thing you can't give me, so… let's leave it like that. You owe me nothing, it was my pleasure to help you all." She let Aerith go and took a step back. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna get some fresh air and let you catch up. I'll... I'll see you out there." And with that, she leaped over to the nearest stone pillar.

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_"I love you…"_

The words still echoed in Tifa's head. He had chosen Aerith over her, after all. And, somehow, it didn't feel as bad as she thought it would. She felt happy for both of them, especially for Cloud. He deserved it more than anybody in the team, he had suffered so much: first, his father died when he was very little, then came the problems with SOLDIER, soon after Sephiroth burned Nibelheim to the ground, then Zack and his mother died. And, finally, Sephiroth took Aerith's life away. Ever since then, Cloud focused all his time and effort into finding a way to bring her back. And now, thanks to a miracle, some strange girl had come into their lives bringing a solution to their grief.

Tifa was happy about it, and when she heard Aerith's voice coming from the altar, her heart jumped with joy. Soon after, Shimmer came down, almost falling into the water when landing over the stone pillar. Tifa steadied her and saw Shimmer crying.

"What, is something wrong?" She asked, her voice full of concern. "Is Aerith alright?"

"Huh?" Shimmer said. She seemed scattered, as if she didn't know where she was. However, when her eyes met Tifa's, she seemed to return to normal. "Oh, Tifa… sorry." She dried her face with her sleeve and shook her head as if wanting to get rid of some nasty thought.

"Shim? Is something wrong with Aerith?" Tifa asked again.

"Umm, no, Aerith is just fine. Everything went fine. I'm gonna go outside, so you can talk as long as you want. See you later. Oh, and thanks for not letting me fall." She smiled faintly and jumped to the next pillar, where Barret stood.

After a short chat with him, where she told him that everything was fine, she tried to leap to the next pillar, where Yuffie was sitting with her legs hanging and brushing the water surface slightly. She couldn't jump without knocking Yuffie over, so she had to call her first.

"Hey, Yuffie! Would you mind standing up? I need to go out."

"Sorry," she said while standing up. Shimmer jumped over and landed next to her. "Say, is Aerith alright?"

"Of course she is! I think they'll be heading down soon, but I have to go outside."

"Oh, sure. And, thanks".

Shimmer nodded and jumped over to where Vincent stood. He said nothing, and she tried to get past him without touching him, but she tripped and he steadied her with his right hand. Shimmer trembled at his touch, and tried to keep going, but he held her hand tightly.

"Let go… _Vincent_," she hissed. Still, he didn't move. "You're hurting me Vincent, please let go off me." He just kept staring at her with his expressionless eyes. She felt anger and fear welling up inside her, until she couldn't take it anymore. "I said let go!" She shouted against her will.

Reeve, who was in the last pillar, looked up at them with concern. Shimmer was staring at Vincent with a mixed look of anger and fear, while he remained expressionless. He was about to ask them what was wrong, when Vincent finally let her go. Then, she jumped to the next pillar and, without pausing to talk with Reeve, leapt to where Red and the Turks stood, finally making a run for the staircase. Reeve jumped after her and stopped her a couple of feet away from the bottom of the stairs.

"What's wrong?" He asked her.

"Let me go, please!" She half pleaded, half demanded him.

"Not until you tell me what's wrong!" He was holding her wrist near the spot where Vincent had touched her, and he noticed a mark that looked like a burn. Reeve frowned and said, "What did he do to you?" His voice was full of concern again.

"Nothing, I'm alright. Just let me go outside…"

"What do you mean 'nothing'?" He seemed not to hear her last words. "This... this looks like a burn! What are you hiding from me?" Shimmer shook her head, not looking to Reeve's eyes. He pulled her closer to him, and with his free hand, turned her face towards him. "Hey, I'm your friend. You used to trust me, I ask you to do it again… please."

Shimmer turned her gaze away from him, but said, "I'll tell you… but we gotta go outside".

Reeve was about to agree, when Reno came over to them. "Ahem… am I interrupting something?" He was trying not to grin, but he was having a hard time.

Shimmer and Reeve gave him a strange look, and he gazed at Shimmer's waist. While Reeve asked her to trust him, the arm that was holding her wrist slid to her waist, and he kept on holding her chin with his hand, their faces dangerously close. Both of them turned red and let go.

"So, you busy?" Reno asked. "Cuz if you are, then I can leave you alone." He was grinning widely now.

"Don't be silly," Reeve snapped at him, his face still faintly red. "What do you want?"

"Nothing, really. El got suspicious about you two, and sent me over to ask. So, anything we should know, boss?"

"No, Reno," Reeve answered. "Shim and I got something to discuss, so we're going outside. Alright?" Reno nodded. "Okay, you're dismissed." Reno saluted him and left. Reeve turned towards Shimmer. "I, umm… I'm sorry about the… uh, you know." Shimmer nodded. "So, you still wanna go outside?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

They began to walk up the steps, without realizing they were being followed.

Halfway up, Shimmer's heartache began again, making her fall to her knees. She clutched her chest and had difficulty breathing. Reeve was concerned and knelt next to her.

"Shim! You okay?"

"Get… me… out… now…" She said, breathing heavily.

"But…"

"Do… it! Get… me away…from… Vincent… I'll die if… you don't… help me… Reeve…" She began to feel light-headed, and the last thing she knew before fainting was that Reeve took her in his arms and began to make his way up the stairs again.

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"Shim, Shim are you listening to me?"

Reeve's voice came from far away, or so it seemed to Shimmer. His voice was full of concern and alarm, but as much as she wanted to answer him, the doppelganger's presence was too strong and her body didn't respond to her commands. She opened her mouth and tried to tell him something, but all that came out were some gagging noises.

"What?" Reeve asked.

"V… Vin… take him… away…"

"I, I don't get it… what do you want me to do?"

"She wants you to take me away from her, you silly."

Reeve's head whirled from Shimmer, who was lying next to a tree, to Vincent, who was standing in the doorway of the shell house. He had the same impassive face of always, and he was leaning on the doorway, as usual. But, suddenly, a change came upon him. He was… smirking?

"What's wrong, Reeve? You… scared of me?" He began to walk slowly towards them.

"What do you want, Vincent?"

"All I want is her life, and then I'll be gone."

"W… what? Vincent… what's wrong with you?" Reeve was both alarmed and scared. He stood up and took his gun out, and although he didn't aim at Vincent, he walked a few steps towards him.

"Oh, that's right!" Vincent said, trying to sound as if he had just remembered something. "You know nothing about me, do you?"

"Okay, now I'm confused! What the… the hell are you talking about? Who… who are you?"

"He's… he's a shape… a shape shifter…" Shimmer had managed to sit down and she whispered those words between coughs.

"A… shape shifter…? You mean the… the ones… that hunt you people down? But… h-how?"

"Come on Reeve, it's not that unconceivable. But, I've got work to do, and I have nothing against you, so… would you mind getting out of the way?"

"You crazy? Of course not! I'm not gonna let you hurt her, whatever you are!"

"Whatever I am? Wait a second, does that mean you don't believe I'm a doppelganger? Well, then I guess we need a little demonstration, do we not?"

"Stop…" Shimmer had now stood up, and leaned against the tree. "You want… me, so leave… Reeve al… alone…"

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! You're so not giving me the is-me-that-you-want, leave-my-friends-alone speech! You know? If there's something we hate, is the fact that people don't believe in us. Well, I'm gonna show your goody two shoes friend the proof he needs."

"No… AH!" Shimmer's heartache came stronger than before and fell to the ground once more.

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Cloud, Aerith, Cid and Elmyra reunited with everybody else at the bottom of the crystal staircase. Everyone was so happy and joyful, that none of them noticed Vincent's absence. Suddenly, Aerith began to look for him, and when she told Cloud that he was missing, he went pale.

"What? He's… he's gone?"

Then, realization came upon Reno. "Oh, right! He left soon after Reeve and Shimmer went upstairs. They said that they needed to discuss something and they just left. Then Vincent went after them, but he said nothing."

"What? That something new for you?" Elena asked mockingly.

Cloud, on the other hand, was very worried and began to think furiously. Then, "We gotta go outside… now."

"What's wrong, Cloud?" Aerith asked. Somehow, she knew something was very wrong, she felt it since she noticed Vincent was gone. "Is everything alright?"

"No, nothing's alright… damn, how could I forget?"

"Okay, spikes. Calm down and tell us what the heck is going on here." Cid said.

Cloud quickly explained them what Shimmer had told him about Vincent possibly being a doppelganger and, after that, Red explained them what a doppelganger was.

"So," Tifa said, "the Vincent we became friends, fought and travelled with is a fake? And… he's after Shimmer? Why?"

"She wasn't sure about him being a doppelganger, but she said that whoever it is, he wants to kill her. But that's not important now! We have to help her!" Cloud said.

"And Reeve." Rude cut in.

"Then what the hell are we waiting for? Let's go get 'em!" Barret said, more than a little excited.

They all went ahead, but Aerith and Cloud stayed a little behind. "So much for having a peaceful life, huh?" He said.

"What fun would that be? Maybe it's our destiny to keep helping people. And… and that's just fine, as long as we're together." Aerith said, hugging him.

"Yeah" he answered hugging her back, "you're right. Besides, we owe her. Come, let's go".

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"It's… it's too late… run Reeve…"

Reeve ran back to her and found her sweating and barely breathing. "Shim?"

Then, it happened. A noise like that of an explosion came from behind and deafened them for a while. When Reeve finally dared to look back, he found himself staring at one of the most hideous things he had seen in his life. He had seen many horrible things, especially during the time he was with avalanche. But, what stood in front of him right now was totally and absolutely…

"Gross…" Reeve muttered.

In the very same spot where Vincent had been standing a minute ago, was a tall 'man', completely white except for his hair, which was jet-black, his yellow cat eyes and blue and red marks all over his body. He had a smirk upon his lips, and a mocking look upon his eyes. He was simply freakish.

"So…" His voice came out like a snake's hiss. "…do you believe me now, Reeve?" his gaze then fell over Shimmer, who was facing him, a sickish expression on her face. "Well, I guess you'll want to defend yourself, but I won't let you off the doppelganger detect thing, not until we're safely away from here… we'll have to go someplace where nobody interrupts us, won't we?"

Reeve stood up again, his gun aiming at the doppelganger. "You won't touch her, you… you freak!"

The doppelganger rolled his eyes, sighed and with a swift movement of his hand, sent Reeve flying over to the lakeshore, where he landed headfirst and lost consciousness.

"Reeve!" Shimmer was standing on her knees and hands, looking towards the place where Reeve laid. "No… please, don't be dead…"

The doppelganger was standing next to her now, and lifted her up by her left arm. "He's fine, I told you I had nothing against him. But you dear, are a completely different case. You up for a ride?"

"Let me go!" Shimmer tried to shout, but her voice came only in a harsh whisper. Then, she tried to reach for her gun, but the doppelganger was too fast for her.

"Nuh uh," he said, shaking his head, "no toys allowed." He tossed the gun and disappeared with Shimmer in an instant.

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Reno and Red had reached the shell house door just in time to see Shimmer and the doppelganger disappear. They stood there, awestruck, until everybody else caught up with them. When they told them what they had seen, Cloud felt a knot at the pit of his stomach and leaned on the wall.

"Damn it…" he muttered.

He was about to blame himself again, when Elena, who had gone to investigate the area along with Rude and Reno, called them. They had found Reeve with a serious injury on his forehead, along with some broken ribs and a fractured wrist.

"Here, let me help him." Aerith said, kneeling next to him.

"You sure it's okay for you to do so?" Yuffie asked. "I mean, aren't you weak or something?"

"No, I'm fine." Aerith replied. She bowed her head and took Reeve's hands in hers, then she concentrated and a white light from the sky fell over him, closing his wounds and fixing his bones. After a short while, he woke with a start and began to look around for Shimmer.

"Where is she? What happened to her?"

"Calm down, boss," Elena said, then she explained him what had happened with Shimmer and the doppelganger.

"Oh gods, no!" Reeve fell to his knees and hid his face in his hands. "This can't be happening, it's all my fault… I shouldn't have kept her so long downstairs! I'm such a fool!"

"This ain't your fault, Reeve." Cloud said. "I should have asked you to keep Vincent away from her, in fact, I should've been looking after her…"

"No, Cloud, it's no one's fault. Shimmer would never blame any of you." Aerith said.

"The Ancient's right" Reno said, "you gotta stop blaming yourselves and we have to look for her".

"Yeah, but the 'Ancient' has a name, you jackass" Barret said, "and it's Aerith. Don't you forget it!"

"Hey, I could care less about her name, you big teddy bear!"

"Guys!" Aerith cut in. "This is no time to fight. Barret, I don't care how he calls me, okay? I'm used to being called Ancient or Cetra, so there's no problem. And Reno, try not to mess with Barret or anybody else. Do you understand me?" None answered. "I said, do you understand me?"

"Yes, Aerith." Barret said. "Sorry".

"Yeah, I'm sorry too." Reno said.

"Good, now shake hands." Both of them gave her a what-are-you-crazy look. "Oh, don't be so childish. If we're gonna work together, you need to call a truce. Now, please shake hands."

Barret and Reno exchanged unpleased looks, and reluctantly shook each other hands, which they withdrew hastily and cleaned on their pants.

"What do we do now?" Elmyra asked.

"First, I'll have Cid take you home ma'am." Cloud said. "This might be dangerous, and I don't think Aerith will want you to get hurt."

"But…"

"He's right, Mom. Besides, Marlene's going to need someone to take care of her, won't she Barret?"

"She's with Shera, but I'm sure they'll like the company." Cid replied. "And I don't mind taking her there while you think of a plan."

"Then, we'll do that." Cloud said. "Take Mrs. Elmyra to your house and then come back as soon as you can, we're gonna need all the help we can get."

After many good-byes, Cid and Elmyra left the city along with Barret - because he insisted in seeing his daughter - and headed to Rocket Town, while Cloud and the rest of the team tried to figure out where Shimmer and the doppelganger might be.

"He said that they needed to go someplace where no one could interrupt them…" Reeve said.

"That doesn't help," Tifa said. "That could be just about anywhere."

"Anywhere except the big cities," Red said.

"Still, that leaves lots of places where they can be, and I don't think we have much time to visit them all." Elena said.

"El's right", Reno said, "especially if he knows that we'll be after them. And, there's something else that's bothering me…"

"What is it?" Aerith asked.

"Well… Reeve says that Shimmer was in very bad shape before he lost consciousness. That's pretty bad by itself, but… what if he hurt her before leaving? What if she doesn't have any weapons with her?"

"I think she has a gun," Cloud said. "I saw some kind of bundle under her jacket earlier. I think it might've been some sort of weapon."

"Maybe something like this?" Rude asked. He had been pacing around, trying to figure things out as well, when he stepped over Shimmer's silver gun.

Cloud walked towards him and took it from his hands. He read the inscription: "_S & V_", then thought about it for a while.

"Do you know if it's hers?" Tifa asked.

"Yeah, it's hers alright." He answered.

"How do you know?" Reeve asked.

"It has an inscription: _S & V_. It has to be hers."

"But, what does it--?" Elena was interrupted by a loud splashing sound that came from the lake.

It took a while for the water to settle down, and when it did, three tall men emerged from it. Two of them were familiar for Cloud and the others, while the third was only known by Reeve, the Turks… and Yuffie.


	3. Pt II, Ch 1: Shimmer & Vincent's Story

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**Come Back:**

**A Lover's Prayer**

**_Part Two: Shimmer & Vincent_**

****

**_Chapter 1: Shimmer and Vincent's Story _**

****

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Shimmer woke up to a dull pain on her arm, and a sharper, stronger one on her chest. She didn't know where she was, much less how she had gotten there. When she managed to sit up, she noticed chains on her ankles and wrists bound her to the floor and wall. She looked around and noticed she was in some sort of basement, only a very creepy and disturbing one. There were four coffins in there, one bigger and fancier than the rest. Human bones lay on the dirt floor, cobwebs lined the walls' upper ends and ceiling, and dust covered almost everything in the room. The walls, like the floor, were of compacted dirt. Finally, there was the iron door, which, Shimmer guessed, had been recently installed, for it lacked the decaying look the rest of the items in the room had.

She had barely finished surveying the room, when she heard a key turning in the door. A couple of seconds later, the door opened and in the doppelganger that had attacked her at the lakeshore walked in. Suddenly, it all came back to her: after reviving Aerith and having an unpleasant encounter with the man everyone thought to be Vincent, she and Reeve went outside, followed by the doppelganger. He'd caught up with them at the surface and after injuring Reeve, he took her away. So, that's how she got to that damp, dark place. And that's why she was chained to the wall and floor.

"Yes, dear, that is how and that is why."

His voice was silky, but venom laced; his tone mocking and evilly gleeful. His big yellow eyes shone with malice, his steps were slow and deliberate. Shimmer noticed he kept his right hand on his back, and her heart began to race.

"Why are you so scared, Shim?" He smirked as he kept walking towards her.

"What's on your right hand?" she asked more nervously than she had intended to sound.

The doppelganger chuckled and sat on one of the coffins, about two meters away from her. He stretched his right arm a bit so she could see what was on his hand. It was a syringe filled with a pale orange liquid. As soon as she laid eyes on it, Shimmer went pale and scrambled closer to the wall, trembling.

"My, my, my. Brave little Shimmer is afraid of injections, isn't she?" Again, mocking and gleeful.

"Get that away from me! You can't… you can't do this!"

"Oh, but of course I can, Shim. It is my job, after all."

"Who sent you, anyway? Why do they want to kill me?"

The doppelganger sighed wearily. "You already asked me this, and I already answered you. But, humouring you for no reason at all… You know why. You're an Observer, our enemy. As for who sent me… what do you care? You'll die, anyway."

"I think I at least have a right to know what I did to be haunted like a wild animal…" She was still trembling and very much scared, but she had to buy some time to figure a way out of this situation.

As if he could read her thoughts, he smiled and said, "You're just trying to buy time, aren't you? You actually think you can save yourself. I guess hope never dies, huh? Well, I humoured you before, but not this time." He stood up and walked towards her, preparing the syringe.

Shimmer managed to crawl towards the nearest corner of the room, but it offered little help to her cause. When she looked up, the doppelganger was already standing before her, syringe ready. She kicked and punched as much as the chains would allow her to, but to no avail; the doppelganger simply waved his left hand and the intense heartache paralysed her again. She could only watch as the doppelganger injected the orange liquid into her arm, grinning and revelling in the moment.

Once all of it was in her system, he threw the syringe away; then he waved his hand again and the heartache was gone. The young woman simply sat limply against the wall, tears silently rolling out of her eyes.

"Now, now, don't cry. You have at least a day and a half before the virus reacts and the side effects begin. After that, it'll be other two or three agonizing days before you finally die." He smiled as if this was meant as comfort.

"I know what the darned virus does…," she whispered harshly.

"How rude of you. But, I understand; you probably want to be left alone, right? I'll leave, if that's the case." Shimmer remained silent, looking towards the floor. "I'll take that as a yes, then."

He bowed and began walking towards the door, but then he stopped and turned around. "Then again… I can't promise you'll be 100 alone…" He chuckled and left, locking the door.

Once the doppelganger was gone, Shimmer punched the floor and grunted, angry tears flowing out of her black eyes. She knew she was as good as dead now that the doppelganger had infected her with the Fire virus. As he had said, in up to four days she would be dead, her entrails scorched as if a bomb had exploded inside of her. Without her backpack, there was no way she would be able to escape the basement and get back to her home planet in time to drink the antidote.

Nor was there anyway she would be able to see Vincent ever again.

"I'm so sorry, Vincent…," she whispered, shaking her head slowly.

She began to doze off, because she was very tired and because of the virus that now ran in her bloodstream. As she drifted into slumber, she heard a sliding noise in the back of her head. Mustering all the strength she had left, she opened her eyes again and focused on the bigger, fancier coffin. She watched as the lid slid off the coffin and fell to the ground, lifting a cloud of dust and making her cough.

Once her coughing fit was over and the dust settled, she saw a man sitting inside the coffin; he wore a dark red cape and had long, silky black hair, and a bandana – also dark red – tied around his head. But what caught her attention the most was his metallic left arm. When she looked up into his pale face, her eyes locked with his, and for a very long time, none of them spoke.

Finally, Vincent broke the silence. "I see he managed to capture you, too."

Shimmer jumped a bit at the sound of his voice: it was the same voice she had heard coming from the doppelganger when he was acting as Vincent, but so much deeper and… 'Wearier' was the only word that came to Shimmer's mind at the time. Once she recovered from her shock, she nodded slowly. "Yes, he did. I was careless, and now I'm trapped here, and I'll…"

"No need to explain, I know what happened. As ironic as it may sound, I've seen everything he has done in my dreams… or rather, in my nightmares." He chuckled bitterly and shook his head. "After thirty years I managed to atone for my sins and was ready to move on… But then, out of nowhere, this… this _thing_ comes and chains me to this place again, bringing me new nightmares."

The young girl could only look to the ground and whisper, "I'm sorry you got caught up in this, too… it is my fault. I wished I could do something to make it up to you, but…"

"It is not your fault to be who you are, and it is not your fault to have fallen in love with the man you did. The fact that he and I are the same person in different worlds was mere chance. Do not blame yourself needlessly… it will do no one no good whatsoever. Take it from someone who knows."

She sighed. "Not that it does much of a difference to blame me or others… I'm still stuck here, I'm still infected, and I'm still going to die without having seen him again…"

"I believe I can help you with the first of your problems."

"What do you mean?"

He stood up and dusted his clothes a bit, then walked up to her and broke the chains that bound her with his claw. She thanked him and tried to get up, but her knees gave in and she fell to the floor once more.

Vincent knelt next to her, a mildly concerned look on his eyes. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine… it's just the virus settling in, it weakens me for a bit. I'll be alright in a moment."

"Exactly how long does it take for the virus to become active? And what are the side effects?"

Shimmer sighed, rubbing her temple. "About… twelve hours for it to become active, and the side effects start around twelve hours after that. It starts with headaches and dizzy spells, easily confused with lack of food or sunstroke. Then the excessive sweating, shivers, and burning sensations all over the skin begin. Coughing fits, as well. That lasts around two days or so. After that starts the fever, really high fever. It comes with hallucinations, spasms, severe seizures… you die either because you break your skull due to the seizures, or because the virus manages to burn your insides. That's why they call it 'Fire virus'. It's as if a bomb had exploded inside of you, or as if you've drunk gasoline followed by a lit match."

Vincent listened to her and simply nodded. "Where does this virus come from?"

"We do not know… we only know the doppelgangers carry it with them and try to infect as many of us as possible. About ten years ago, Silia, or chief research scientist, managed to isolate the virus and create an antidote. It kills the virus, but while it's doing it, the effects are far worse than the virus'. That's why we have to be under supervision when the antidote is applied, and as such, we are not allowed to take it out of the labs when we go out… much less when you're an escapee, like me."

"Still, do you think they'll let you have the antidote if you get a chance to go back to your home planet?"

Shimmer looked at him with slight confusion in her eyes. "Well, yes, of course. I may be a rebel, and I may have broken almost every single rule in the book, but they would not let me die because of this virus… Especially not when it would rob them of the opportunity to send me to trial," she added with disgust.

"Very well, then." He stood up and walked towards the door, pushing against it.

The young girl was a bit confused, still, so she asked, "Vincent, what are you doing?"

"I am looking for a way to get us out of here and go find Cloud and the rest. But it might take a while, and I'm not sure when will Craig return."

"Craig? You mean the doppelganger?" Vincent simply nodded. "How do you know his name?"

"As I told you, I saw everything he did in my nightmares. That's how I learnt his name, and his plans. But he keeps a lot of things to himself, so I do not know everything."

"So, you don't know who sent him to kill me, do you?"

Vincent shook his head, then rammed against the door with his good shoulder. Shimmer cringed, and asked if he was alright. "Yes, quite. I hate to admit it, but the experiments Hojo performed on me have a few advantages. Still, I do not think I'll be able to break this door open as I am now."

"What do you mean, as you are now?"

The taller man looked at her with his nigh emotionless eyes, and asked, "Do you not know about my… transformations?"

The Observer shook her head. "No, I am sorry. Out of all of Cloud's companions, the only one I could not find specific information about was you. Tseng only had one file on you, the one they opened when you first joined ShinRa. Other than that, I only know Hojo experimented on you, but there were no details about what kind of experiments they were."

"I thought so. That man worked for himself, he never sent full reports back to the company. It does not come as a surprise that you would not know about what he did to me." He walked back to her and sat on the same coffin Craig had a while ago. "Do you want me to explain it to you?"

Shimmer thought about it for a moment, and then nodded. She figured he'd need someone to talk to after all his time sleeping. Besides, there was something about him… something that made him completely different from her Vincent. It was an air of mystery around him, and that was what compelled her to listen to his story.

"There are four monsters living within me, each unique and different to the others. They only come forth when I am angered enough and allow that rage to take over me. All four of them are physically stronger than I am, but, for the most part, I am able to control their actions during battle. However, the four monster, a demon actually, is the strongest of the four, and also the most difficult to control. This is usually not a problem, for his reasoning abilities are very similar to mine, and he handles battles well. If I am to break that door, I will have to unleash him. It has been far too long since the last time I had to do so, and while I trust my ability to control him, there is still a shadow of doubt in me regarding this."

"What you are trying to tell me is that it's dangerous for both of us for you to unleash this demon within you, right?" Vincent nodded. Shimmer sighed and considered things for a moment, and then she shook her head. "Listen Vincent, I appreciate your wanting to help me, but…"

"But you are wondering why I would want to help you in the first place. You also think there is no use, since Craig will find you before you are able to reach your Shifter and get out of here. You are not even sure you want to return to your home planet, since it means your hopes of seeing Vincent again would become zero instead of remaining as a slight glimmer." She looked at him in awe, and the corner of his lips curled in a small, barely visible smile. "And now you are wondering how I know all this."

"Well… yes."

"Craig can read minds, and since we have been connected for a couple of years, some of his abilities have passed unto me. Now, tell me. Am I wrong?"

Shimmer shook her head slightly. "No, you are not wrong. I am thinking all that. Now, would you answer my question? Why are you helping me?"

"Because I know you, even if indirectly. I know what you've been through, and I know you are about to make the same mistakes I made over thirty years back. You are willing to let the one you love go, and that, Shimmer, is unacceptable. You are giving up without a fight, and I will not allow you to."

"Why not? If you know me, if you know what Craig knows, then you should also know there is no way out!"

"There is a way out. Vincent, Sephiroth and your brother will provide it."

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"The middle of the lake? After the snowfields, the mountain range and the huge crater, you just had to top it all bringing us to the middle of the lake, didn't you?"

"I knew I had to recalibrate the bracelet after it got steamed…"

"I swear, young man, if this coat shrinks, you'll never hear the end of it."

"You're worried about your coat? My bracelet is probably ruined by now! How are we going to help my sister without it?"

"You'll fix it, that's how! Maybe that way you'll stop dropping us in the wrong place all the time!"

"Would you stop yelling at me? I am not deaf!"

"Both of you should stop yelling. I am beginning to get a headache."

Cloud and the rest watched the three men in awe, some in disbelief, and some scared. And they were right to be scared and awed, for the first man to speak was Vincent… without the metallic claw or the long hair, though. Also, his clothes were 'normal', so to speak: black jeans, red shirt and black sneakers. The third man to speak was none other than Sephiroth, without the huge sword or leather garments. He wore a dark suit, blue shirt, black coat and boots. As for the second man, he turned out to be Daemon, Shimmer's little brother. He was Cloud's height, with slightly tanned skin, black hair and eyes. He wore black armour and carried a katana-style sword, as well as a bracelet on his left arm.

The first ones to react were Barret and the Turks, who aimed their guns towards Sephiroth.

"I thought you said he was dead, Cloud!" Spat Reno.

The silver haired man raised his hands defensively. "I believe you are confusing me with someone else, young man."

"Like hell I am!"

"Reno, wait! I think he may be right…"

"What are you talking about, Cloud?" Barret asked.

"I think he is right, guys," Reeve added.

The blonde man slowly walked towards the lakeshore, a curious look on his eyes. He looked at the three men, then showed the man he recognized as Vincent the gun Rude had found earlier. "This is Shimmer's, isn't it?"

Vincent's crimson eyes opened wide and he walked towards Cloud, taking the gun in his hands. "Yes, it is hers… but, how? Why do you have this? She said she wouldn't use it unless… what happened to her?"

Cloud looked towards the Turks and Barret, "Is alright, lower your guns. They won't hurt us."

"How can we be sure?" Elena asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"That requires a long explanation," answered Red, "that I believe should be given elsewhere."

"Sure, whatever. But tell us, what happened to my sister?" asked Daemon.

Cloud looked at them, shame creeping into his eyes. "She… I am sorry, I was supposed to be taking care of her, but I…"

Aerith walked up to Cloud and squeezed his hand reassuringly. "It's not your fault, Cloud. She would not blame you." Cloud nodded, and then she looked at Vincent. "I am afraid Shimmer was taken away not too long ago… you see, after she helped them bring me back to life, she left the City of the Ancients, and was chased by a doppelganger who, seemingly, had been looking for her. Reeve tried to help her, but he was no match for him. We are terribly sorry, and we'll do anything we can to find her and bring her to safety. We owe her so much, is the least we could do."

"A doppelganger was following her?" Vincent asked, horrified. Aerith nodded.

"How come she didn't notice it?" Sephiroth said. "It's not like her to be careless."

"I think we should head somewhere we can talk a bit more calmly. Reeve needs to rest, and I believe you'll need to dry your clothes," Aerith said.

"Indeed. We'll fill everyone in on Shimmer, and answer all your questions," Cloud continued. "Then we'll start looking for her."

Vincent seemed about to protest, but Sephiroth interrupted him. "That is a good idea. We need to rest a bit, too, after our… bumpy ride, to put it mildly." He glanced sideways towards Daemon, who simply stuck his tongue out mockingly.

"Then, let's… _mosey_," Cloud said, grinning and stealing a sideways glance towards Cid.

"Would you stop saying it like a wimp?" The older man exclaimed in mock frustration.

They all laughed some and moved out.

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Scarcely more than an hour later, the party was gathered at ShinRa's HQ, which had been rebuilt by Reeve and some other people. Elmyra had been dropped off at Rocket Town, where Shera and Marlene were.

President Shinra's office, ere nearly empty, now held numerous couches and chairs, as well as meeting tables and some decorative items, such as plants and small water fountains. It was in one of the meeting tables that the party sat down to discuss the matters that interested them.

Cloud started by explaining everyone about Shimmer: how she had gotten there and her suspicions about Vincent, their travelling companion… or at least, who they thought was their companion. Red XIII explained them what a doppelganger was, and about the multiple dimensions theory, with a bit of help from Daemon.

"This brings us to you, Sephiroth and Vincent," Cloud informed.

"Seems like it. What is it that you would like to know?" Sephiroth asked.

"First off… what is your relationship with Shimmer, Vincent? She would not talk about it, and I'd like to know. I understand if you do not want to discuss it, though."

Vincent's eyes darkened, and he looked away. "I… I believe Seph can fill you in."

"Indeed I can," Sephiroth answered. "It must have been a bit more than two years ago when we first met Shimmer. Right, Vincent?" The dark haired man nodded, the hint of smile forming on his lips. "She arrived pretty much out of nowhere, for reasons known to all of us now. She came looking for Aerith, who had been expecting her arrival."

"How did Aerith know about Shim?" asked Reeve.

Sephiroth was about to answer, when Vincent spoke up. "Aerith said she had a dream… she had died at Sephiroth's hands at the Crystal City's altar."

"Crystal City…?" Aerith questioned. "You mean, the City of the Ancients, right?"

Vincent nodded. "Yes, I believe it's the same. Back home it's called Crystal City, because of its material, and because the Cetra is still a big race in our planet, unlike here, and so aren't called 'Ancients'. In any case, that's where Aerith's dream took place. She had the same dream several times, and it never changed. She said she saw herself kneeling at the altar, and then Sephiroth jumped off the ceiling with a long silver sword and—"

"… and stabbed through her midsection…" Aerith said in a whisper, touching the place where her scar should be, but was not. Cloud grimaced at the memory and took Aerith's free hand in his as if to confirm she was really there.

"Yes, that is what she saw. We knew that could not happen; Sephiroth is Aerith's father in law, and they get along fine."

"And I do not know how to wield a sword," Sephiroth added.

"One night, though, there was a change in the dream. Or rather, an addition. Aerith saw…" He sighed and shook his head. "Seph…"

"She saw Shimmer holding the White Materia, and it was then that Aerith knew she'd meet this girl, and that she'd help her bring back to life the slain Aerith. And true enough, about two weeks later Shimmer appeared at the Crystal City, seeking Aerith's help. She offered it willingly, as she and Cloud knew how you felt, Cloud. Did Shimmer give you Cloud's message?"

Cloud smiled and nodded. "Yes, she did."

"What message?" asked Tifa.

"That'll remain a secret until we find Shimmer, I'm afraid," was his reply.

"So, where does Vincent come into play in this tale?" Cid asked.

"Well, Vincent's a researcher back home, along with me. Coincidently, we were interested in proving the Alternate Worlds theory when Shimmer appeared. Aerith knew this, and so she introduced her to us. For her and Vincent, it was love at first sight. Or at least something very similar to it."

"Pff, nonsense. She hated me… I was such a jerk," Vincent said in a distant murmur.

"Oh, well… there is _that_. Although, she didn't hate you. She just thought you were a bit too pushy, is all."

"Why?" Red asked.

"Vincent is quite devoted to our researches, and he's known to lose his head from time to time when results aren't exactly what he expects them to be. Or when people aren't cooperative enough in his eyes. You see, when we met Shimmer, we asked her to tell us the Shifter's secret. She refused at first, for she feared it could fall into the wrong hands and damage the balance that exists in the universe. Vincent might have been a bit too vehement in his intent to get her to tell us what we wanted to know. The facilities were constantly filled with their disputes."

"You came to an understanding in the end, did you not?" Reeve asked.

"Yes," Vincent answered. "She told us how the shifters work, but she did not tell us how to build one. She said that if we are meant to discover it, we will have to find out on our own, but the information she gave us was enough to set us on the right direction. And it was because of that information that…"

"What happened?" Elena asked.

"Shimmer broke her planet's rules again. The first time was when she left with her brother and found this place. As she got involved with ShinRa and planned to find an alternate energy source, she broke her race's isolation. Then where her plans of reviving Aerith, her affair with Vincent, and finally, giving us the Shifter's information. That was the last drop for her elders, so to speak."

"An affair? So she got past hating you and became your girlfriend?" asked Reno, suddenly interested in the conversation.

Vincent blushed and looked away again, covering his eyes as much as possible with his hair. Sephiroth sighed deeply and nodded. "Yes, that is correct. I think Shimmer's love for Vincent was the only reason she told us about the Shifter. She also told us about her planet's rules, and so both of them tried to avoid falling in love with each other, but when it comes to love, it's no use. It it's meant to happen, it'll happen, no matter how much distance you put between two people.

"So these two became a couple, even though Shimmer received a fair amount of warning from her elders. Seems like they knew what would happen between her and Vince, and they also knew she would have to return to this planet to revive Aerith. And so they decided to punish her by forcing her to make a most difficult choice. They blocked her Shifter so that when she left our planet, she could not be able to return. The only way for her to be with Vincent was by staying with us, not coming to help you out. Should she leave our planet, as she did, she would lose Vincent forever."

"That's awful…" was all Aerith could say.

"So… she chose helping us instead of staying with you?" Cloud asked. Vincent sighed heavily while rubbing his eyes with his left hand. "I… I do not know what to say…"

"There is no need to say anything. He told her to come."

"What? Why would you do that?" Cloud asked.

"Cloud and Aerith are my best friends, along with Sephiroth. I've seen how happy they are together, and after hearing Shim say how you two are so much like them, I… It's strange, but I felt bad for you, Cloud. I couldn't be selfish and ask her to stay with me, not after all the trouble I brought to her by asking her to show us how the Shifter works, and after seeing how hard she worked to find a way to help you reunite with Aerith. I… I just couldn't."

Aerith reached across the table and took Vincent's hands in hers, looking intently into his eyes. "I promise you we'll find her, and she'll be back with you. After all she's done for us, all she's sacrificed, it is the least we can do."

Vincent smiled, and nodded. "Thank you so much."

Sephiroth also smiled. "Shim was right. There is not such a big difference between you and my daughter in law. Or between Cloud and my son."

"So!" Daemon interrupted. "Explanations are done; you are getting all mushy, so why don't we get down to business?"

"Wait," said Yuffie. Daemon raised an eyebrow, and she went on. "You said your name is Daemon Falastur. Cloud said your sister's name is Shimmer Oroke. That makes you half siblings, right?" Everyone looked at her in curiosity, and some even surprised. "What, what did I say?"

"The ninja wannabe can think!" exclaimed Reno, a fake surprised look on his face.

"Bite me, Reno."

"Don't want to get poisoned, so I'll pass."

"Quit it, you two," said Reeve.

"Yuffie does have a point, Daemon," said Sephiroth.

"Yeah, she's my half-sister only. Same father, different mothers. All of them dead."

"All of them Observers?" asked Red.

"Yes, only my mother was half-Observer, half-Demon. So I'm part demon."

"That explains the name," Tifa said.

"Yep. Anymore questions?" No one said anything, so Daemon went on. "So, we need to find my sister. Any ideas?"

Reeve got up and brought his laptop to the table, hooked it to the cannon and projected a world map on the white screen at the end of the table. "Well, maybe this software will help. We can enter some parameters, the computer will do some calculations based on that, and it'll display the areas that fit the criteria."

"Heidegger's favourite toy," Reno murmured.

"And Scarlet's," Rude added.

"Well, what do we know about this doppelganger?" Cid asked.

"He disguised himself as Vincent, although I don't know when it started doing that."

"What?" Vincent asked. "He disguised as me? I mean, as this world's _Vincent_?" Cloud nodded.

"Then it means he had been following Shimmer for quite a bit of time," Sephiroth assumed.

"But since doppelgangers can't see the future, his taking over as Vincent must be quite recent. No more than two years," explained Daemon.

"Around the time Shimmer met the other world's Vincent and Aerith, then. That is around the time we left Midgar," Cloud mused.

"Where was Vincent around that time?" Sephiroth asked.

"In the ShinRa Mansion back in Nibelheim, where we found him," answered Aerith.

"But then, did we meet the _real_ Vincent, or was he already a fake when we woke him up?"

"Woke him up?" asked Sephiroth.

"Long story, we'll tell you about it later if you like," answered Cid, waving his hand.

"As for your question, Barret… my guess is you met the real Vincent," Daemon said.

"How so?"

"Well, Red, doppelgangers can't stay in the same body for a prolonged period of time. They begin to lose what little identity they have within ten months."

"That is a relief. You know, that we met the real Vincent. But, it doesn't help us much here. If the doppelganger has been Vincent for the past ten or so months, it means he could've been just about anywhere," Tifa said.

"Except for places Vincent would never frequent," Daemon said.

"Well, that narrows it down some," Cid said. "When we disbanded after Meteor was destroyed, I asked him where he wanted me to drop him off at. He said anywhere but the big cities. So, he stayed with Shera n' me for a couple of weeks, 'cause I sure as hell wasn't gonna let him go back to Nibelheim."

"After that," Red continued, "he visited me for a while at Cosmo Canyon. He spent most of his time with the elders and at grandpa's machine, looking at the large Materia and books we had. About a month after, however, he left without saying where to."

Reeve entered some data into the computer, and big red crosses appeared over Junon, Midgar, Rocket Town and Cosmo Canyon. Some more data, and Gongaga, Mideel, the Temple of the Ancients, the Sleeping Forest and the City of the Ancients disappeared as well.

"Why'd you take those last five off, boss?"

"Gongaga and Mideel because those are places where two much attention would be drawn to himself, and we know that is something Vincent does not appreciate. The Sleeping Forest and the City of the Ancients because we were recently there. Finally, the Temple of the Ancients because it's deserted. I've been monitoring it with Cait Sith, so that is how I know."

"Ya still have that piece of junk with ya, Reeve?"

"Leave the cat alone, Barret."

"So, based on what Red said, Vincent was doing some kind of research," Tifa said. "Where else could he have gone to obtain information like the one in Cosmo Canyon?"

"Icicle Inn, here in Midgar, Nibelheim… and that's about it," Cloud answered.

"Icicle Inn?" Yuffie asked. "Oh, you mean Professor Gast and Aerith's mom's videos?"

"My mother? What videos is she talking about, Cloud?"

"Yuffie, you brat!" Cloud said. "I wanted to take her there so she'd see for herself, you silly."

"Cloud…?"

The spiky haired young man sighed. "After you died, we arrived to Icicle Inn, on the northern continent. There is an abandoned house there, and the villagers told us it belonged to a ShinRa scientist and to a Cetra. When we went in to investigate, we found some videos Professor Gast recorded, where he and Ifalna talked about Jenova and the disease that annihilated the Cetra. Then there were some other videos, more private. Those are from when you hadn't been born yet, and then when Hojo took you and your mother away."

Aerith covered her mouth with her hand, a shocked look on her eyes. Her earlier memories involved snow, but she didn't really remember ever being to the northern continent, where all the snow was. It all made more sense now, but it really wasn't time to be thinking about such things. They had to help Shimmer. Besides, she could always ask Cloud to take her there.

"Are you alright, dear?"

The young Cetra nodded. "Yes, it's just… a bit sudden is all. But let's not think about that now; we must help Shimmer."

Cloud nodded and their gaze returned to the screen. Reeve had already entered more parameters, and Midgar, Icicle Inn and Nibelheim were surrounded by a light blue circle.

"Can we rule out any other places?" Sephiroth asked.

"The Chocobo Farm, Fort Condor, Gold Saucer, and Round Island," Rude said, and Reeve marked them all with the red crosses.

"How do we know he's not on Round Island?" asked Barret.

"We are the only ones to breed Golden Chocobos, and Vincent didn't have any. Did he ask any of you if he could borrow one?" Everyone shook his or her head. "Is any of you missing any Chocobos?" Again, a general no. "There you go."

"Wutai is clear, too," added Yuffie. Reeve marked that, too.

The remaining places were Corel, Bone Village, and Costa del Sol, the Northern Crater, Gaea's Cliff and the three Materia caves. The last three places were easily dismissed because of lack of transport that could take anyone but Cloud and his companions there. Vincent, being the loner that he was, preferred walking or driving a small car, so it wouldn't be easy for him – or the doppelganger, rather – to arrive to any of those areas.

"What about the remaining three?" asked Elena.

"Well…," Reeve started. "Bone Village should be clear, too. We were there not too long ago, and nothing seemed out of place. Besides, it'd be pretty stupid to remain there, considering we'd have to pass through there."

"Yeah. Corel is not a good hiding place, either. Costa del Sol… you have a Villa there, right Cloud?" asked Elena, and Cloud nodded. "Well, that's out of the question, too."

"Midgar, Icicle Inn and Nibelheim are our only real choices, then," Vincent mused.

"Yep," Daemon agreed. "Now, how're we gonna go about this? Do we go in as an angry mob?" Everyone stared at him in surprise, while Sephiroth and Vincent simply rolled their eyes. "What?" The boy asked.

"'Go in as an angry mob'?" Red asked.

"Yeah, what's wrong with that?"

"Well, I don't know about you observers, but our tactics do not include suicide," Cid added. "We almost always split up and keep someone near as reinforcements.

Daemon scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Fine, then. We'll do it the boring way."

"Better safe than sorry," Sephiroth added under his breath.

"There are fourteen of us," Cloud said after counting them all. "So, we make three groups of four, and one of us stays in the Highwind along with Cid as backup." Everyone agreed, and he nodded. "Good. Now, I'd like to go to Nibelheim… I have a feeling that's where he's keeping them."

"I'll go with you," Aerith said at once.

"So will Vincent and I," Sephiroth stated.

"Very well. The Turks and Reeve should stay here in Midgar, since they know the city best." They all agreed, and here Cloud hesitated a bit. "For Icicle Inn… I think Tifa, Yuffie, Barret and Daemon would do well to go there. That leaves Cid and Red aboard the Highwind. Is that all right?"

Everyone agreed, and Reeve turned the computer off. "Good. Now, let's all stock up and be on our way. I've an unpleasant feeling about this all."

"No kidding…" Vincent mused as everyone got up.

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"What did you just say?"

"I said Sephiroth, Vincent and your brother will provide a way out for you. But, we'll need to help them along. Which is why I must tear this door down."

"But… how did they get here?"

"That I do not know. All I know is Craig is very upset about it, and perhaps, he'll make a mistake we can take advantage of. But I wouldn't count on that too much."

While Shimmer tried to take this new information in, Vincent tackled the door once more, measuring its strength and resistance. After a moment's pondering, he nodded and walked back to Shimmer. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm alright, I guess. Just feeling a bit weak."

"You said we have little less than day and a half until the virus becomes active, right?" She nodded. "Good. You'll need time to rest, and I'll need it to prepare to break down that door. I'm sure Cloud and the others will be on their way here soon, but I'm willing to bet Craig knows this, too. So chances are he'll try to slow them down, and I'll know when he does. That's when we'll take our chance."

"What if Craig notices our trying to escape and returns here?"

"I'll fight him. He took my gun, but I still have my claw, my Turks training, and the monsters within me. I don't think I'll be able to beat him, but at least I can slow him down while you get to safety and the others arrive."

"I'm still not sure why you would want to endanger yourself like that just to help me…"

"I already explained that to you."

"Yes, but it still doesn't make a whole lot of sense."

"Well, I can't help you with that. Suffice to say, I don't want you to go through the same ordeals I've been through. And, besides, you helped two of my friends. I may not show it often, but I care for them, and I am grateful to you for helping them."

Shimmer nodded and sighed. "Alright, then. So, now what?"

"Now, we wait. You should try to get rest some."

"I don't think I'll rest much, though, but I can try."

She really was tired, so sleep came easily enough. However, it was, as she thought, a restless sleep. She had nightmares involving Cloud and the rest, as well as Sephiroth, Vincent and her brother. Craig was, of course, in all of them. And, as it is expected from nightmares, they all died at his hand as she stood by, unable to stop him.

Most disturbing of all, was the fact that she dreamt about her parents and how they died at the hands of doppelgangers while she and Daemon escaped. Back then, she had caught a glimpse of the assassins' faces, and she'd sworn she would find them and hunt them down, just like they had hunted her race. During this nightmare, however, both assassins were Craig. Afterwards, when the mission in Cloud's planet was past history, she'd wonder how much of that dream was true, and how much of it was brought up by her problems at that time.

But not then.

She awoke once more not knowing where she was or how she had gotten there, but as soon as her eyes came across Vincent's sleeping figure, everything came back to her. She sighed and clumsily stood up, stretching her sore legs and rubbing her temple. She wondered how long had she slept, and if Cloud and the others were on their way. Or perhaps Craig. She shook her head, pushing the thought away, and walked around the room, trying not to disturb Vincent.

"I'm not sleeping, so feel free to be loud, if you wish," he said matter-of-factly, once again reading her thoughts as though they were part of a book.

"That's a scary ability. Is why I never bothered learning it," Shimmer commented, relaxing and walking towards the door. Vincent made no reply, so she went on. "So, what's our situation?"

"As far as Craig knows, they've split into three teams, four if you count the ones aboard the Highwind. Cloud, Aerith, Vincent and Sephiroth are heading our way, so he'll intercept them at the city's gates in about half an hour."

"Is that when we'll make our move?" Vincent nodded. "How long has it been since I fell asleep?"

"Not five hours," he stated simply.

"How can you be so certain?" Vincent simply extended his arm and showed her his wristwatch. Shimmer looked at it in disbelief, and then started giggling. The man in the red cape arched an eyebrow and stared at her, confusion plain to see on his eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry… it's just so… so bizarre that you have a watch with you at a time like this," she explained between giggles.

"Well, I'm glad to see you're in a good enough shape to laugh," was all his reply.

She exhaled deeply and nodded, then continued pacing around the room. It was then that she spotted Vincent's coffin again, and her curiosity got the best of her. "What does it feel like to spend such a long time sleeping and having nightmares?"

"Numb. Surreal. Unsettling. After a while, you begin to forget the things you're seeing and experiencing are naught but dreams, and you start believing those visions are your real life."

"Can't you just wake up and move on?"

Vincent's lips curled into a small, sad smile. "I guess it's possible, yes."

"Then why did you spend such a long time asleep before Cloud and the others found you?"

"I was atoning."

"Does sleep wash away your sins?"

"That is something I do not wish to discuss," he answered dryly.

Shimmer understood that was the end of that, so she sat down next to him. "Didn't you ever feel hungry or anything down here?" Vincent arched an eyebrow again, and gave her a sideways glance. "Well?"

"I don't understand the purpose or direction of that question."

"There is none. I'm just curious."

"That being the case, no. Hojo made sure to alter everything in me, including my metabolism. I suppose you could say I'm like a bear in the sense that I can 'hibernate' for prolonged periods of time."

"That's… interesting."

"You've no idea what I would give to stop being 'interesting'."

"Well, right now, I'm thankful you're interesting."

"So am I. Now, I need to prepare for the transformation. I can guarantee it will not be pretty, so perhaps you should hide in the coffin until it's all done. And no matter what, don't come out until you hear my voice."

"But, what if it's Craig?"

"You'll know the difference."

"I hope so…"

Shimmer stood up and walked towards the coffin Vincent had mentioned. "Do you think we should move it to a corner or something? To give you more room." Without replying, Vincent pushed the coffin against the wall, and motioned for her to lie inside. "You'll be quick about it, won't you?"

"Claustrophobic?"

"No… but it scares me all the same," she said while sitting inside the coffin. "Promise you'll be quick."

"I promise," Vincent said while closing the coffin. He set two of the other coffins on top of the bigger one, just to be on the safe side, and then walked towards the door.

"_This is it, Chaos. I need your help…_" He concentrated on all the memories than angered him, on all the things he'd done that he regretted, in everything he wanted to set right but couldn't. Vincent allowed all that resentment and fury to slowly creep over him, enveloping him in an aura of pure wrath.

The change began sooner than he had expected it to. For a moment, he thought he'd lose control over the beast, that his will would not be enough to contain it after two years out of combat. But after a short battle of wits and wills, Vincent managed to exert his control over Chaos. However, he would have to be very careful and concentrate hard and long enough, otherwise, everything would be lost.

The first thing Chaos did was approach the door and tackle it like Vincent had done before. But unlike the other times, the door shook in its frame, sending off little trails of dust all over the place. With a deep, content growl, Chaos rammed against the door with all its might, managing to bend the hinges. A second assault broke them, and the door was left dangling precariously over half an inch of metal. A mild punch sent it flying to the other end of the hallway, lifting a cloud of dust and cobwebs all around. Satisfied with its performance, Chaos allowed Vincent to return, knowing his services would soon be needed again.

As soon as his body returned to normality, Vincent frowned and slowly returned to the coffin room. He could feel something was wrong, but was unsure what could it be. When he opened the biggest coffin, he saw what was wrong.

"Shimmer!" He yelled, taking her out of the coffin. She was pale, her eyes wide open but staring into nothingness. She clutched her chest with her left hand, holding on tightly to Vincent's hand with her right. "Shimmer, what is wrong?"

"He--" The rest of her words got lost in a blood curling scream. Right after that, seemed to snap out of whatever trance she was in, and she flung her arms around Vincent's neck, holding onto him as if for dear life. "He knows! Vincent, he knows! You have to help them, you have to!" She sobbed onto his shoulder.

Her words made him see what she meant. Craig knew they were about to escape, but that didn't bother him. He had set up a trap for Cloud, Daemon and the rest, and wasn't worried about anything. Attacking Shimmer like that had been a mere entertainment session for him, and a simple message: _There is no way out._

****

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****

After leaving Daemon's team at Icicle Inn, Cid set a course towards Nibelheim. Red kept him company while Cloud, Aerith, Vincent and Sephiroth talked in the meeting room.

It was awkward for Aerith and Cloud at first to be talking to Sephiroth as friends and not as sworn enemies. It was especially hard for Aerith, who'd been murdered by a man very similar to the wan she spoke to now. But, after a short while, she realized the similarity was only physical and that mentally and spiritually, their enemy and the man who now sat before her couldn't possibly be more different. Where the other Sephiroth had been mean, cruel and a sadistic murderer, this one was very calm, gentle and centred. The only thing they had in common was their interest in science, even if their reasons were radically different.

As for Vincent, even though he wasn't as quiet as their world's Vincent, he was very gloomy and reserved. Both Cloud and Aerith thought it was only due to the circumstances they were in, but there really was no way to know.

"_We'll be there in about ten to fifteen minutes, kids_," Cid informed them over the intercom.

"Right, thanks, Cid," Aerith replied.

"Well, better get ready. Did Reno and Rude tell you how to use those?" Cloud asked Sephiroth and Vincent. He pointed towards the revolvers resting at either man's left side; they'd gotten them at the ShinRa building's armoury before setting out to Icicle Inn.

Vincent eyed his gun carefully, and nodded. "Yes, they did. I'm familiar with this kind of weapon, but I've never been comfortable wearing them or using them."

"I'd never even held one of these. But, I think I'll manage if necessary," Sephiroth added.

"But you've used Materia before, haven't you?" Aerith asked.

"Yes, we have that back home," Sephiroth replied. "I just hope it works the same way here."

"At any rate, I'm sure you'll make more damage than Aerith here," Cloud teased.

Aerith gasped and smacked him in the head. "You are so mean! I swear I'm not going to heal you if you get hurt."

"Aw, I was just kidding, dear…"

"I know," she said, giggling and rubbing the spot she hit. "So was I."

"So, what is it we should--?"

Vincent's question was interrupted by Cid's voice over the intercom. "_Kids, we have trouble ahead…_"

"What is it, Cid?" Cloud asked, getting up.

"_Better come and see… you're not going to believe me if I tell you_."

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	4. Pt II, Chapter 2: Rescue Mission

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**Come Back:**

**A Lover's Prayer**

**_Part Two: Shimmer & Vincent_**

****

**_Chapter 2: Rescue Mission _**

****

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Cid was right. If he had told Cloud and the others what it was he saw, they wouldn't have believed him.

"It's beep J-E-N-O-V-A, and seems the bastard OD'd on stamina drinks."

"Which one of all is it, though?" Cloud asked.

"What do you mean, which one?" Aerith asked. "There were more than one?"

"Yes, four of them. Birth, Life, Death and Synthesis," Red explained. "Each one uglier than the one before, but only Synthesis was a real problem."

"I think it's the Death one," Cid said. "But, damn, how the hell did it get so big?"

"What is J-E-N-O-V-A?" Vincent asked, completely lost.

"J-E-N-O-V-A was named 'the calamity from the skies' by the Cetra," Aerith replied. "It is a creature from outer space that crashed into our planet and tried to take it over. It spread a virus that almost completely annihilated the Cetra race. As far as I know, ShinRa found it, and began experimenting with its cells. Sephiroth called it 'mother', since he was infused with those cells while he was still in the womb… Professor Hojo did that… the same man that meant to experiment on Red XIII and me a few years ago… Part of what made Sephiroth so strong were those cells. They also drove him mad."

"Sephiroth 'rescued' J-E-N-O-V-A from the ShinRa headquarters when our mission to save the planet began," Cloud continued. "And he somehow managed to spawn four monsters using different parts from its body. The first three were rather easy to get rid of, but the fourth one, Synthesis… well, it was called that for a reason. It wasn't as strong as it was resilient, and killing it off took a lot out of us."

"Yeah, I still remember how annoying that fight was," Cid commented.

"But, from the sound of it, none of them was as big as this one, right?" Vincent asked.

"Nowhere near… Cid, I think you'll have to get us close enough to attack, 'cause we're not gonna scratch it from the ground," Cloud said.

The pilot lighted another cigarette and nodded. "Had a feeling you'd say that. It's a darn shame, we'd just waxed the ship."

"We'll help you clean it up once it's all over," Cloud called from the hallway as they all headed for the deck.

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This new and improved version of J-E-N-O-V-A was nearly as big as Ultimate Weapon had been, and just as disgusting as the ones that came before it. It was very similar to the first three J-E-N-O-V-As – especially Death, as Cid had pointed out before –, but had a slimier look to it, and it was dark shade of red, like a puddle of blood.

Cloud, Red and Aerith were at a disadvantage, since their weapons were close ranged, and would do no good from that distance. They would have to rely heavily on magic, and hope their ethers and elixirs would be enough to sustain them through the battle. Vincent and Sephiroth would have to find the beast's weak point fast enough to make all their bullets count, as well, but it didn't seem like their revolvers would do much good against the hideous thing.

"Strategy, Cloud?" Red asked, readying a fire spell.

"Let's try the bullets first. Sephiroth, aim to the forehead. Vincent, you aim to the chest… let's see how it reacts."

Both men did as instructed but, as Cloud thought, to no avail. The bullets ricocheted off the monster's body, slimy as it was, causing no damage at all. After cursing under his breath, he said, "Very well, then. Red, hit it with fire. Aerith, hit it with lightning after that, and I'll send some ice its way. Should all fail, we'll have to try something else."

Red launched his fire spell against the creature's chest, and Cloud cheered. The beast recoiled, albeit slightly, as the fire managed to melt J-E-N-O-V-A's outer jelly-like armour. "Vincent, Sephiroth! Try shooting it now!"

They did, and the bullets got through this time around. The damage was still minimal, but there was progress, and Cloud would hang on to that for as long as he could. "Now, Aerith, Red, let's hit it with Flare, Fire and Ifrit, all at the same time. Aim for the head, hun, and you keep aiming at the chest, Red. Vincent, Sephiroth, as soon as you see the jelly melting on those two areas, shoot at it. But make every single shot count! _GO_!"

The all-out attack began not two seconds after Cloud's command, and it worked perfectly. The three fire-based spells melted J-E-N-O-V-A's upper armour, leaving its soft and weak body exposed to Vincent and Sephiroth's attacks. After around five minutes of non-stop assault, the creature began to swell up, readying itself to launch a single desperate attack.

"Cid, get us the hell out of here!" Cloud yelled at the top of his lungs. "Everyone get inside! It's going to self-destruct!"

They all ran inside as fast as they could, and barely made it to the lower deck of the ship before J-E-N-O-V-A blew up. The explosion sent the ship spinning out of control for about six kilometres before Cid could recover control over it. Still, he had to make an emergency landing between the Nibel Mountains and Nibelheim, because the blast set fire to one of the ship's motors.

Once safely on land, they all got out of the ship, assessing the damages sustained.

"God damn it all to hell!" Cid yelled, stomping his foot on the ground. "That beep son of a beep had to trash my goddamned motor, hadn't it? It's going to take me _weeks_ to fix it! Arrgh, I want to poke its beep eyes out!"

While Cid had his fit, Aerith was using Cure to tend to everybody's injuries which, luckily, were minor. "We'll help you fix it once we set everything else right, Cid, I promise…"

Still fuming, Cid walked over to them, lighting another cigarette. "Ah, beep it. It'll give me something to do over the next few months, at any rate. How are you all holding up?"

"Nothing too serious, just some small scratches and bruises," Aerith said, finishing up on Cloud's arm. But when she looked towards Cid, she gave a little scream and covered her mouth with her hand. "Cid! Your head, it's bleeding so bad!"

"What?" Cid asked, bringing a hand to his forehead, then examining it and noticing it was covered in blood. "Ah, fantastic, just what I needed, a beep gash on my gosh darned head." He noticed Aerith's concern and waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry, kid, it's okay. I'm sure it's only superficial. Head's just a big bleeder, ya know?"

"Here, sit, let me patch you up before you faint," Aerith said.

Meanwhile, the other four were looking towards Nibelheim. "Do you really think he's got them there?" Red asked Cloud.

"Yes, it seems quite logical. If he found Vincent there, keeping Shimmer at the same place would be tons easier than having them at different places."

"If you're so sure, why did we split up, then?" Vincent asked.

"I'd rather be safe than sorry. I don't like putting all my eggs on the same basket, and all that junk."

"That's very wise, young man. Our only problem now is that we've lost our transportation," Sephiroth pointed out. "Should we need backup, there's no way it'll get here fast enough."

"Didn't Daemon say something about a bracelet?" Aerith asked after Cid and her reunited with the rest.

Vincent scoffed. "Yes, he did. But the cheap trinket works only halfway. It wouldn't surprise me if he ends up taking his entire team to the Chocobo Farm while trying to come here."

"Reeve has his chopper," Cid informed them. "And the Tiny Bronco's at Rocket Town. Shera can pilot it and come pick us up if we need a quick retreat."

"Better call her and give her a heads up regarding that," Cloud said. Cid nodded and walked back to the Highwind while dialling Shera's number. "I want this to be as quick as possible," Cloud went on. "We go in, take Vince and Shim out if they're there, and we go out. If the doppelganger is there, I want you, Vincent and Sephiroth to take Shimmer out of there as fast as you can, Aerith. Cid, Red and I – and Vincent too, if he's feeling alright – will try to hold him back just long enough for you to be safe."

"Got it," Aerith said. "Should we call the others to see if they're alright?"

"Not yet," Cloud replied. "First I want to make sure they're really here. Once we know, we'll call them. And anyway, chances are they're busy with some clone surprise, as well."

"Shera's getting the Tiny Bronco ready as we speak. She'll land close to Nibel's coast and get closer once she sees any of us running out of Nibelheim," Cid said when he returned.

"Good," Cloud nodded. "Now, let's go in… as usual, let's expect the unexpected."

They all nodded and moved towards Nibelheim.

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The explosion could be heard all the way to Nibelheim just as if it had happened in town and not several kilometres away. By that time, Vincent and Shimmer had already left the ShinRa Mansion and were hiding at Cloud's old house. The city was once again deserted, so they were not disturbed by anyone. When the explosion came, the whole house trembled, and Shimmer feared it would collapse on them. But it didn't; it held on and once the noise calmed down, silence returned to envelop it all.

"No…" Shimmer whispered, standing up and running towards the door. Vincent caught her before she could open it, and she struggled to get free. "I want to see what happened! Let me go!"

"You won't be able to see anything from here, so settle down," he said, holding her with extraordinary ease.

"But what if something happened to them?"

"Nothing happened to them, believe me. He'd be gloating if that were the case."

"Why are we still here, anyway? Why can't we just leave?" She was still struggling, but weariness began to take over her.

"They'll come here, and we'll have a better chance of standing up against him all together. Besides, you won't be able to make the trip to Rocket Town by foot in the state you're in."

The young woman finally stopped struggling and simply stood limply against Vincent's taller frame. "Fine… could you let me go now?" He did, and she sat on one of the beds. Her breathing had become laboured ever since the little fit she had down at the mansion's basement, and she feared the virus Craig passed onto her might've been tampered with so it would act faster. She hadn't brought it up with Vincent in order not to worry him, but she guessed he already knew.

Once he was sure she wouldn't try to go out again, Vincent sat at the table once more, cleaning the guns he had found at the weapons shop. They were old and not his preferred kind of gun, but they would have to do until he could find his Death Penalty. "Do you know how to use a gun?"

Shimmer looked at him, her eyes weary and dull. "Yes. I prefer gloves and claws, though. But, I can do with a revolver." She frowned and lifted her hands before her eyes, and saw they were shaking badly. "At least, I think I can…"

Vincent looked up and saw her hands shaking, too. "How long have you been like that?"

"I don't know, I noticed just now."

"The virus is acting up faster than it should, isn't it?"

The girl sighed and nodded. "Yes. I think it's a new kind of virus, but I can't be sure."

"If it was a regular virus, how long would it have taken to make you shake like that?"

"After first acquiring it? A day. A bit less, perhaps."

"Which means you have about a day less than we originally thought, right?"

"Yes, I think so…" She covered her face with her hands and rested her elbows on her thighs, sighing heavily. "Unless the speed grows exponentially, in which case I'm lost."

"You're not lost; we'll get you out of this." Shimmer nodded, and Vincent stood up and walked towards one of the kitchen's cabinets. "Do you have a headache?" She nodded again. "I'll make you some tea, and then you'll sleep until we can get out of here."

"Alright…" She whimpered and clutched at her chest, falling to her knees. "No… please…"

Vincent whirled around and strode towards her, visibly concerned. He knelt next to Shimmer and held one of her hands in his. "What's wrong? Is it Craig?" Shimmer nodded. "Is he the one making the virus go faster?" Again, a nod. "Can you fight it back?"

"I…" She swallowed hard before trying to talk again, and squeezed Vincent's hand with all her strength. "I need to be away from him… Otherwise…" A new wave of pain ran through her, making her scream a bit. "He's going to make my heart blow up…"

The dark-haired man helped her up and into the bed, and then he went to get cold water and towels. Vincent carefully washed her face with his claw, while he held her hand with his good hand. "You just need to hold on a little longer; Vincent's on his way, along with Cloud, Aerith, Sephiroth, Cid and Red. They'll be here soon, so hold on. You're strong enough to hold on a while longer, I know."

After a few agonizing minutes, the heartache diminished, and Shimmer relaxed some. "Vincent, you have to get me out of here soon… I can't take much more of this. Between the virus and his attacks, I'll wear out…" Her voice was barely a whisper, and her breathing was even more laboured than it had been less than an hour before.

"Just a little while longer, I promise. As soon as Cloud and the others get here, we'll get you out and away."

Shimmer nodded and curled in the bed, shivering slightly. "I think I'll pass on the tea… I'm tired…" And she fell asleep.

Vincent stood up and paced around the room, trying to contain his anger, and with it, Chaos. Things were going very bad very fast, and he didn't like that. And, as irony would have it, now that he needed to be in touch with his comrades, he couldn't do it.

He looked at Shimmer, curled like a lost and frightened child in the bed, shivering and visibly preoccupied and in pain. He wondered how much longer could she hold on like that, and how long was Craig willing to let her live. Or, rather, how long was Craig going to keep on torturing her like that. It was then that he noticed the bond between the doppelganger and him was weakening, and he felt a surge of fear and apprehension taking over him. Knowing what Craig was up to and how he felt was part of what had kept him and Shimmer alive since they met at the basement, and with that knowledge gone, they were at a greater risk than ever before.

He stood still in the middle of the room, eyes closed and his body relaxed. He focused on the doppelganger with all his might, and managed to pick up his train of thought and emotions. Craig was… what? Angry? No, that wasn't it. Even if he hadn't managed to kill the people aboard the Highwind, he had gotten rid of the aircraft, and that was enough for him at the time being. But he wasn't happy, either. Something bothered him greatly, but he hid it well, for Vincent could not find out what it was. However, knowing that there was something making that demon nervous was enough to appease him… at least a little.

Vincent exhaled deeply and began pacing around the room again, trying to clear his mind enough to pinpoint Craig's location. He'd been at it for about then minutes, when, a pink blur went by the window closest to the road towards the mansion, and Vincent's heart skipped a beat. He ran towards the table and got one of the revolvers, and then he returned to the window and looked outside.

To his great relief, it was Aerith, along with Cloud, Cid, Red, Sephiroth and… himself, from another world and another reality. He saw the absence of the metallic claw, and felt a slight pang of jealousy hit his heart. He dismissed it and thought about what must be done. So he slowly opened the door and walked towards the road where Cloud and the others could have a clear view of him.

"Cloud, Aerith… we're here."

Everybody turned towards him, weapons at the ready. Vincent simply raised his hands, the revolver safely tucked away on his slacks. "It's me, don't worry."

"How do we know it's really you?" Red asked, his tail swishing frantically.

Vincent thought for a moment, then said, "I'm sorry, there's no way I can prove it's really me, since he has all my memories and could easily use them to fool you. But if I were Craig, I think I'd have my Death Penalty with me, and all I got is this silly relic," he said, pointing towards the revolver.

Aerith was the first to drop her guard and walk towards him. "What did I say when you finally decided to come along with us?"

"'That's a quick change of heart.'"

"And before that, when you said you were having nightmares?"

"'You'll dream about bad things if you sleep in a place like _this_.'"

"And about your punishment?"

"'So your punishment was to sleep? That's… kinda weird.'"

She smiled and hugged him tight. "It's nice to see you again, Vincent."

He hugged her back, smiling faintly. "It's nice to see you, too. I missed you while you were gone… But, how did you know it's me? I told you he has my memories."

"It's the way you said it all. It's _your_ way of saying things. There's no copying that."

Cloud and the others joined them, and they all shook hands and hugged – although in Red's case, the hugging was a bit awkward and funny looking. Sephiroth and Vincent came in last, and were introduced by Aerith.

"They're Sephiroth and Vincent from the planet where Shimmer got help to bring me back to life. And, this is our Vincent," she said cheerily.

"I know," Vincent said, shaking hands with the other two. "And, speaking of which, Shimmer's inside of Cloud's house. We have to get her out of here as soon as possible, she's very ill."

"Ill?" Vincent asked. "What's wrong?"

"Craig infected her with the Fire virus while we were on the mansion's basement. And, I don't know how, but he's making it act faster. She's having symptoms she shouldn't have until twenty hours from now."

The other Vincent didn't wait a moment longer and ran into the house. Sephiroth went after him, leaving the other five to catch up.

"Where is the doppelganger? His name is… Craig, you said?" Cloud asked.

"Yes, it is. But I don't know where he is, exactly. The bond we have is getting weaker, but from Shimmer's state, I should think he's not far from here. We need to get her away from here, Cloud, and we need to bring her the antidote."

"How are we gonna do that?" Cid asked lighting yet another cigarette.

"I think her brother can transport to their planet and get her some. I wouldn't want her to go there and stand trial," Vincent said.

"And lose Vincent again," Aerith added. "We can deal with Craig later if he chooses to follow us or anything."

"Right," Cloud said. "Vincent, how are you holding up?"

"I'm quite alright, except for the lack of my shotgun. I'd like to know where that bastard left it."

"Well, never mind that, I'm sure we'll find it eventually. Aerith, you, Sephiroth, the other Vincent should get Shim out of here now. Vincent, Red, Cid and I will stick around in case Craig is still in town. Meanwhile, you get to Shera and fly to Cosmo Canyon. It's the safest place around."

Aerith nodded. "Alright, I'll go get them."

She went to Cloud's house and found Sephiroth and Vincent sitting on either side of the bed, talking softly to Shimmer. The brunette girl cleared her throat and shyly walked closer to them, not liking to disturb them. "I'm sorry, but we should get going in case Craig's around."

"Very well," Sephiroth said, standing up. "Can you carry her, Vincent?"

"Sure," he said, standing up as well. "I'll just need you to guard my back should she slide or something." He helped Shimmer sit on the edge of bed, and then he knelt in front of her with his back turned to her. He wrapped her arms around his neck, and slid his arms beneath her thighs, finally standing up and carrying her piggyback style. "There we go," he grunted. "You alright, honey?"

"Yes…" she whispered. Then she looked up and smiled at Aerith, offering her hand to her. "Nice to see you again."

"It's nice to see you, too… But you don't look so well, dear." She took her hand in hers, and after reciting a simple spell, a cooling wind enveloped Shimmer and Vincent, making them feel refreshed and with renewed strength. "There you go, lots better," she said with a warm smile on her lips.

Shimmer smiled and thanked her, and then they all went outside. Cloud walked up to them and took Shimmer's hand in his, looking at her apologetically. "I'm sorry I didn't keep him away from you, Shim… but it'll all be alright now, I promise."

The young woman shook her head, smiling. "Don't worry, it's fine. It's nice to see you all again."

"It's nice to see you well, too," Red said.

"Yeah," Cid agreed. "No, just leave town and walk a little until you spot a woman with reddish-brown hair with a cool blue and red plane. She'll take you to Red's hometown, and we'll catch up with ya soon enough, okay?"

"Okay," Shimmer replied. Vincent turned around to leave, but she said, "Wait. Vincent?" Both men turned to her, and she giggled. "I mean, this world's Vincent."

"Yes?" he said, walking towards them.

Shimmer took his good hand in hers and squeezed it gently. "Thank you."

Vincent nodded shortly, and said, "Go on, now. We'll talk later."

Aerith hugged Cloud and kissed him goodbye. "Take care," he said, handing her a PHS. "If anything should happen, call us, and we'll be there as soon as possible."

"Will do. And take care, you too."

**_.,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- _**

As soon as Aerith and the rest were safely out of town, Cloud turned to Vincent. "What do you know about this Craig guy?"

"His main objective with whatever monster he sent your way was to put the Highwind out of commission, to leave us without reinforcements."

"I swear, if I see that beep son of a beep , I'm going to rip his lungs out!" Cid spat.

"So, what is he planning now?" Red asked.

Vincent shook his head, "I don't know. I know there is something bothering him, but I can't be sure what that is. He is quite content with having cut our fastest way out of here, but he's not happy. He's lying low, and as I said, I can no longer tell where he is."

"But you said he can't be far," Red reminded him.

"Yes, that I did. Not in town, however. Maybe in the outskirts."

"You sure about that?" Vincent nodded and Cloud sighed. "Very well, then." He looked around and frowned. "It's all for the better, anyway. I don't like this place one bit… Let's follow the others at a distance. I don't like moving in large groups."

"Just let me return to the mansion and see if I can find my gun," Vincent said.

"You're quite attached to that thing, aren't ya?" Cid asked.

"Not anymore than you're attached to your ships, friend," was his reply.

"Touché," Cid said, tossing his cigarette to the ground and stepping on it. "I'll go with ya to the mansion. You go on ahead, kids. We'll catch up with you."

"Gotcha," Cloud said. "Be careful, and call us if something comes up."

"Speaking of which, we should probably call the others to see how they're doing," Red said.

"Oh, true. Well, we can do that while you two go look for Vincent's weapon."

"Right-O," Cid said, and he and Vincent left for the mansion.

Cloud dialled Reeve's number, but there was no immediate reply, as there should have been. He was about to hang up when Reeve's shaky voice came from the other side of the line. "_Cloud?_"

"Reeve? What happened? Are you alright?"

"_Oh, thank god you are! Yes, we're fine, but you wouldn't believe what we just went through!_"

"Well, given what _we_ went through, I don't think I'd have trouble believing you. What was it on your side?"

"_J-E-N-O-V-A, only bigger, meaner and messier. But, what do you mean, 'on our side'? Something happened over there?_"

"Yeah, we had a J-E-N-O-V-A of our own to deal with, but we're fine. The Highwind is completely trashed, though. But, good news is we found Shimmer and Vincent, and they're all right. Aerith is escorting Shimmer, Sephiroth and the other Vincent towards the Tiny Bronco, and Shera'll take them to Cosmo Canyon."

"_Good, 'cause we're in no shape to continue a search. Do you need backup, though?_"

"I don't think so, but we'll call you if anything comes up."

"_Yeah, do that. Should we wait for you here?_"

"Yep. As soon as we make sure the doppelganger's not on our trail, we'll reunite over there."

"_Got it. We'll, I'll leave you now. Reno's being a cry-baby._"

"_Am NOT!_" Came Reno's voice from somewhere near Reeve.

"_Don't yell in my ear, you moron! See ya soon, Cloud._" The call ended.

"Well, the Midgar team is doing well," Cloud informed Red. "They had a monster of their own to deal with, though."

"Wouldn't surprise me if it's the same story with Tifa and the rest."

"Me either," Cloud said while dialling Tifa's number.

"_Cloud, is everyone alright?_" Came Tifa's desperate voice.

"Yes, Teef, everything's alright over here. How are you guys doing?"

"_Oh, Cloud, it was horrible! There was this huge, ugly, disgusting copy of J-E-N-O-V-A, it nearly killed us all!_"

"Is everyone alright?" Cloud asked, worried. "Do you need us to go there?"

"_No, no, it's all right. We managed to get rid of it in the end, but we're all pretty beaten. We ran out of potions and other items, so we had to walk all the way over to Icicle Inn. We'll be fine as soon as we stock up, though. But, Shimmer's nowhere to be found, and no one has seen her or Vincent around._"

"Don't worry about that, we found them here. Shera's going to take them to Cosmo Canyon, 'cause we ran into J-E-N-O-V-A, too, and the Highwind's crashed."

"_Oh… is everyone alright, then?_"

"Yeah, we're fine. But we need to get Shimmer an antidote, since the doppelganger infected her and she might die within a few days. Is Daemon with you right now?"

"_My, that's awful… and yes, he's here. I'll pass the phone to him._"

"Thanks," Cloud said, and he heard the phone changing hands, and a low grunt, which he assumed was Daemon's greeting. "Daemon?"

"_Yeah, it's me. I heard what you told Tifa about my sister. How is she?_"

"Not so good. Vincent says the doppelganger is doing something to speed up the virus, and she's already presenting symptoms. What we were thinking is, maybe you could go back to your home planet and get her the antidote, then return to apply it here."

"_Sure, I can do that. But I'll need someone to go with me; don't think I can manage it on my own._"

"No problem, take whomever you need. But, before you leave, could you bring the rest over here at Nibelheim?"

"_Yah, we'll be there in a few moments. See you then._"

"See you," and he closed the connection.

"They're coming over?"

"Yeah, the more the merrier," Cloud joked. He then turned towards the mansion, and saw Cid and Vincent coming out, the last one with his shotgun in hand. "So soon?" Cloud asked while walking towards them.

"It was inside the piano," Cid said. "It was one of the first places Vincent insisted on checkin'. Guess it's one of those things you learn with old age," he joked.

Vincent simply raised an eyebrow and shouldered his gun. "Learnt it at ShinRa, actually. But, never mind. How are the others?"

"They all were attacked by J-E-N-O-V-A clones, but made it safely in the end. Well, relatively safely, at least; they're all in pretty bad shape. I told Reeve and the Turks to stay put in Midgar, and Daemon will bring the others here in a few minutes. Then he'll go back to their home planet along with one or two of us to bring the antidote for Shimmer."

As if on cue, Daemon, Tifa, Yuffie and Barret appeared beneath the well tower, and Daemon made a happy exclamation in a language no one understood. "It worked! I knew it only needed cleaning."

"Vincent!" Tifa exclaimed, and ran to hug him. "It really _is_ you! I'm so glad you're alright!"

Vincent hugged her back, smiling faintly. "It's good to see you again, Tifa. And you too, Barret and Yuffie."

Yuffie hugged him, too, and Barret shook his hand. "Welcome back, vamp."

His red eyes closed to slits and Vincent said, "I am not a vampire."

Barret laughed – quite a roaring laughter it was, too – and said, "Just kiddin', Vince."

Daemon approached Vincent and offered his hand. "My name's Daemon Falastur. Thanks for helping my sister."

The taller man shook his hand and nodded. "No problem. Now, who're you taking with you?"

"I'm going with him," Yuffie said. "My ninja training might be of help."

"Yeah, especially if you can pull off a trick like the one you did when we first arrived in Wutai Island…" Cid mumbled.

"Will you ever forget that?" Yuffie asked, rolling her eyes.

"No," was her companions' reply. She simply rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "So-rry."

"Do you need anyone else, Daemon?" Cloud asked.

"No, I think Yuffie and I have it covered. More people might mean trouble. Besides, there are a couple of people back home that can lend me a hand, as well."

"Alright, then. How long do you think you'll take?"

"Not more than a day. I'm pretty sure about that."

"Very well, then. We'll be at Midgar by then, most likely. In any case, be sure to have your PHS with you when you return, Yuffie, so you can call us." Yuffie nodded, and Cloud hugged her. "Take care, kid. And best of luck."

They all hugged her and shook hands with Daemon, and wished them good luck.

"Before you leave, I have one more question. In case we run into the Craig – the doppelganger, that is – is there something we should know or do?" Vincent asked.

"Yes. By now, he can't transform into anyone else, since he spent too much time being you, Vincent. He'll be weakened because of this, but don't get overconfident. Doppelgangers are formidable enemies, and you'll have a hard and long fight before you can defeat him."

"Are there any good news?" Barret asked.

"Doppelgangers are vulnerable to water, and very easy to poison. Fire and lightning do nothing to them, because of the marks in their bodies. Physical attacks mean nothing to them, but as far as I know, bullets and swords work as well as they do with regular human beings. And, if you can, aim for his column and the place where the head joins the neck. Always from behind, remember that."

"Why from behind?" Tifa asked.

"That's their softest side, because every time they transform, the transformation begins there."

"So, basically, slash their back and cut off his head is all we need to do?" Red asked.

"Pretty much, yes. But sneaking up on him won't be easy, and even if he can't transform, I bet he's got a bunch of tricks up his sleeve. So, again, don't be overconfident."

"We won't," Vincent said. "Good luck to you both."

"And to you, too," Yuffie replied.

Then, after adjusting some dials in his bracelet, Daemon and Yuffie disappeared.

"Is everyone armed and stocked up?" Cloud asked. Everyone nodded, and he unsheathed his sword. "Let's all be on our guard and way then."

**_.,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- _**

As Daemon instructed Cloud and the others on how to take on Craig, Aerith and the other three were still on the lookout for Shera.

"I just hope Cid explained her you two would be coming along," Aerith said, referring to Vincent and Sephiroth. "I don't want her to have a heart attack or anything of the sort." Shimmer giggled, but then a coughing fit interrupted her. "Are you alright?" Aerith asked, concerned.

"Yeah, don't worry…" she lied. "Just need to rest some."

"And get the antidote," Sephiroth added.

Shimmer cringed. "And that little detail, too."

"We'll ask your brother to bring you some. I'm sure he'll manage; he seems like quite a resourceful fellow," Aerith commented, and giggled when Vincent scoffed again.

"Is something wrong, Vince?"

"Well, your brother found a bracelet that allows him to tele-transport and whatnot… Seph and I suffered the effects of his trinket on our way here."

"What do you mean?"

"We were aiming to arrive to the City of the Ancients. But, first we ended up in the snowfields. Then, on a mountain range, and after that, a crater. When we finally made it to the City, we landed in the middle the lake."

Shimmer giggled and coughed again. "So, when Aerith means resourceful, she means he can use that thing to go back home and get me the antidote?"

"Yes, that's what I mean. I hope Cloud remembered to call him and the others to make sure they're all right."

From somewhere to their left – and above them, and to their right, and seemingly all around – a macabre laughter could faintly be heard. As they all came to a halt, Aerith and Sephiroth on their guard, the laughter increased in volume and madness. It chilled Aerith's blood, as it reminded her so much of Sephiroth's mad laughter.

"Who goes there?" Sephiroth called.

Shimmer groaned as her head swam and her heart hammered at thrice its normal speed within her chest. "It's… him…" She whispered in Vincent's ear.

"Show yourself!" Sephiroth demanded while Vincent helped Shimmer sit down.

"_No need for that. My work here is done, and you've given me the information I needed to fulfil the second part of my task._"

"What do you--?" Vincent started, but then Shimmer answered his incomplete question.

"He's going after my brother…" She said with difficulty.

"_Indeed I am. That ought to be more fun than sending dull clones your way, at any rate. And dear Shimmer is as good as dead, so why bother her anymore?_"

"You cowardly bastard…" Shimmer murmured, deliberately trying to make his pride get the best of him. "What's the matter, afraid to finish the job yourself? Or are you so scared of us that you'll flee before having to fight us?"

"_Do not call me a coward. And do you really think any of you would stand a chance against me? You're nothing but pathetic human beings, chained to your decaying bodies. I am immortal and powerful! Getting rid of you with my own hands would be a waste of my time and effort._"

"Keep telling yourself that if you like, Craig. But it is you who doesn't stand a chance against us. You're just scared, is all. No shame in that, really." Another strong assault to her heart made her scream in pain, but she wasn't done yet. "Sure, go ahead, bust my heart… you'll still be a coward, and a bastard, and a monster."

"_Why would you want me to come out and confront you, being in such a pathetic state? You didn't strike me as the suicidal kind._"

"I'm not, but I like to face my enemies head on, no matter what the circumstances may be. I don't run away like a coward and pick on someone else."

While Shimmer teased and provoked Craig, Aerith managed to get her PHS out and call Cloud. "_Something wrong, Aerith?_"

"We're near the coast, Craig's around. Get here, and be quick about it." She then hanged the phone, only to discover Shimmer's taunts were working.

"_I told you _not_ to call me a coward!_"

"Is there any other name for what you are?" Another tug at her heart made her scream again, while Vincent tried to make her stop. "I'm okay… don't worry. He's not coming out to face us. He's probably scared of guns, and maybe that's why he got rid of mine before we got here…" She laughed weakly, and then added, "It's probably why he took Vincent's shotgun away, too."

"_I am _not_ afraid of guns!_"

"Then get the hell out of wherever you are and face us, you murderous bastard!" Shimmer yelled at the top of her lungs, making her companions jump in surprise. "Get out and finish your goddamned job, if you can!" The hatred in her voice and eyes transformed her into a completely different person, and the sound of her words floating into her ears scared even her.

There wasn't another retort from Craig. At least not a spoken one. Shimmer had heard about the doppelgangers' demon-like origins and abilities, but never in her life had she experienced the scope their abilities could reach. In less than a minute, the skies darkened and a cold wind began to blow through the land. Thunderbolts and lighting filled the air, falling dangerously close to the small party. Shimmer sighed with mixed relief and weariness, and looked apologetically at Vincent. "I'm sorry you got pulled into this mess… and I'm sorry I've made it worse."

Vincent smiled at her and kissed her forehead. "I plunged into this, so you shouldn't be sorry. And, by making it worse, you've also made it better." He then stood up and readied his gun, moving so that he and Sephiroth were now guarding Shimmer's front and back, while Aerith covered a flank. "So, any ideas on where should we aim?"

"The back of his head, where the column begins. Cutting of the head would do the trick, too, but we've no swords."

"Cloud will be here with the others soon enough," Aerith said, checking her Materia. "All we have to do is hold our ground while they get here." Once she had every orb in its place, she cast Wall on each of them, and a Shield on Shimmer. "I'm not a very good fighter, but at least I can give us a bit of protection."

The lighting storm got worse by the minute, and the earth around them began to tremble. Shimmer had her eyes fixed on a small hill about half a kilometre from their position, and told Vincent and Sephiroth to turn so they were facing it. "That's where he's going to make his appearance. He'll throw something heavy our way, magic most likely, and move when we're distracted. His speed is unbelievable, so be on your guard… and, when you shoot at him, make it when his back is turned to you. That's his most vulnerable side."

"Got it," Sephiroth said.

"What is taking him so long?" Vincent asked after another lighting beam landed close to them.

"He's biding his time," Shimmer said, clutching her heart again. "But he's close, don't worry…"

"Look!" Aerith said, pointing in the direction of Nibelheim. "It's Cloud and the others!" She announced, waving to them.

In the precise moment that Vincent, Shimmer and Sephiroth turned towards Cloud and the rest of the team, a lighting bolt fell on the hill Shimmer had pointed out before, and Craig materialized there. Taking advantage of their distraction, he hurled a fire sphere towards Shimmer and the other three. It would've hit and wounded them severely if Aerith hadn't cast Wall before. But even though the damage was dramatically reduced, the wall wasn't strong enough to keep all the fire at bay, and they still felt the scorching heat upon them.

While Craig generated a second fire ball, Cloud and the others reached Aerith and the other three. Tifa healed them while Aerith restored the Wall and shielded everyone. Meanwhile, Cloud instructed Vincent and Sephiroth to take Shimmer back to Nibelheim while they took care of the doppelganger. Vincent carried Shimmer again, and the three of them ran back towards Nibelheim after Red cast Haste on them.

Cloud was about to give instructions to everyone when a second fire ball reached them, engulfing them all in a sphere of flames. Aerith's Wall once again held back most of its effects, but Cid had to cast Ice to make the flames freeze and be rid of them. While Tifa and Aerith went over the healing and shielding process again, Craig disappeared from the hill, and Cloud took the opportunity to give them directions.

"You remember what Daemon said: aim to slash his column and cut his head off. Tifa, Aerith and Red, you stay at the rear to heal and restore our Walls and Shields. Also, casting Haste wouldn't be a bad idea. Vincent and Barret, do what you do best: shoot the darned bastard 'till he bleeds to death. Cid, if you can get close enough, I'm willing to bet your spear will also damage him. We'll all have to alternate between attacking and luring him to give the others a clear shot, so let's stay in groups of two, okay? Cid with Vincent and Barret with me.

"Those in the rear, if you can get a clear shot, soak and poison him," he continued. "And refrain from using summons, they take too long and we can't take any chances." Just then, Craig reappeared closer to them, fire ball at the ready. "This is it, team! Just like old times! Let's kick some butt!"

As soon as he said those four last words, he dashed forward, closely followed by Barret. Cid and Vincent sprinted in the opposite direction, all of them nearly flying now thanks to Red's Haste spell. Cloud and Barret met the doppelganger head on, dodging his fireball by mere inches. The blonde man slashed at the monster with his sword, but only managed to grace his arm, while Barret's shots missed him by half a foot. All this was just a taunt, since they were giving Vincent and Cid a chance to sneak up on the doppelganger.

The first one to make his move was Vincent, who took aim towards Craig's head, but only managed to wound his shoulder, as the doppelganger whirled around at the last second to dodge the attack, not quite making it. It was then that Tifa cast a poison spell on him, hitting him squarely in the back, poisoning him with ease. As soon as he was hit, Craig disappeared again, making Cloud and the other three regroup while Aerith healed them.

"He's too darned fast!" Cid said, panting. "How are we supposed to hit him like that?"

"Can't ya try n' slow 'im down, Red?" Barret asked.

"I'll see what I can do," Red called back.

"_Fools! You'll never beat me!_" Came Craig's voice from all around, as the lighting intensified. He then reappeared behind Aerith and the other two, hurling fire bolts at them, and sending them flying face-first several meters.

"Aerith!" Cloud screamed, running towards her.

"Cloud, no!" Vincent called after him, but the warning reached the younger man too late: Craig trapped him in a fire sphere, and then disappeared again.

Barret and Cid cursed, and together with Vincent, they ran towards Cloud and the others. Cid put the flames out and gave Cloud potions while Vincent and Barret tended to the two girls and the red beast. They weren't quite finished yet when Craig reappeared behind them. This time, he sent a rock shower their way, but Aerith managed to create a single Shield above all of them, stopping the rocks. To gain more time, Cloud cast Ultima, hitting his target, but seemingly making very little damage. And, again, the doppelganger disappeared.

"We need to split up again," Cid said, "and we need to keep the bastard from disappearing like that."

"Someone must catch him and hold him down," Vincent stated. "It's our only chance of beheading him."

"Who's gonna do that, huh?" Barret asked. "It's not like any of us is strong enough to hold that thing still."

"None of us is, but Chaos might be," Vincent mused.

Cloud stared at his crimson eyes, and frowned. "You think you can control that thing and make it do what you want it to? Won't it go on a blind rage like it used to?"

The dark-haired man shook his head. "No, it won't. I transformed into it to escape from the basement, and I controlled it just fine. It just took me a bit of time to transform and tame it, but it should be easier this time."

"How long do you need to transform and tame it?" Red asked.

"Five minutes, at most. After that, leave it to Chaos."

"Very well, then," Cloud said. "You should get started now that we have a bit of a rest. Red, as soon as Chaos is here and we're sure Vincent's in control, cast Haste on it, and you cast Shield, Aerith. Then, as soon as Craig appears, we'll try to corner him, to make things easier for Chaos. Once Chaos has it down or whatever, Cid will slash his column, and I'll cut his head. Everyone else be on your guard."

Vincent stood up and walked away from the group, once more concentrating on all his bad memories, on every single reproach he harboured against himself, using that fury to call forth Chaos. He blocked out every sound and movement around him, so he missed the moment when Craig reappeared, and Red and Tifa attacked him with Bio and Stop. Stop didn't work, but Bio sent him flying backwards, giving Cloud, Cid and Barret time to corner him.

It was at that moment that Chaos decided it was time to make its appearance. Surprisingly, it didn't oppose to Vincent taking over as the dominant will. And so it was that Chaos darted directly towards Craig, tackling him and holding him tightly. They struggled and rolled around for a good two minutes, but finally Chaos managed to subdue the doppelganger, exposing his head and part of his upper column.

Wasting no time, Cloud and Cid moved in for the kill. Cloud buried his sword on Craig's neck, sending a spray of dark green blood all over the place, while Cid's spear cut open the monster's back, also sending blood flying all over the place. As soon as that was done, Chaos moved back and allowed Vincent to return just in time to see the doppelganger twist and contort madly.

"I think we should back away," Vincent advised, panting slightly.

"It's a good idea," Cid chimed in, retreating. "Doesn't seem like this will be pretty…"

And in fact, it wasn't. As the doppelganger's life slowly faded from his body, his thick, dark blood spread all over the grass beneath him, burning it as it oozed and flowed along. It was then that Cloud noticed his shoes had holes at the tip where the blood had touched them, and his sword rusted in the areas that had penetrated Craig's neck. Cid had to throw his spear away as the blood began to eat away the wood.

"Holy beep !" The pilot exclaimed. "Why the hell didn't Daemon tell us about this?"

"I don't think he knew," Vincent said as they reached the others. "I think this particular doppelganger was not a common one."

"You can say that again," Cloud said as he held Aerith close to him. "Is everyone alright?" Everyone said yes, and he nodded. "Good. Then let's find Shera, tell her we'll need a bigger transport, and get Shim to Midgar."

"And then what?" Tifa asked.

"And then… well, then we wait for Daemon and Yuffie to return," Cloud said.

Cid lit another cigarette, inhaled deeply, and slowly exhaled the smoke. "I hate waiting…"

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	5. Pt II, Chapter 3: Recovery and Farewell

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**Come Back:**

**A Lover's Prayer**

**_Part Two: Shimmer & Vincent_**

****

**_Chapter 3: Recovery and Farewells_**

****

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As soon as Craig was completely dead, the skies cleared again and the thunderstorm came to an end. It wasn't until then that they realized how long they'd been fighting. When it all began, it had been around five or six o'clock, and there was still a good deal of sunlight to guide them. But not it had to be nearly eight o'clock, for the sun had already sank, but the moon wasn't very was high in the sky.

All the same, Shera was easy enough to find. She'd left the Tiny Bronco a couple of kilometres behind the hill Craig had stood in before his first attack. She sat on the pilot's seat, arms crossed over her chest, her head bowed. She'd fallen asleep waiting for the others to arrive, and woke with a start and a little scream when Cid greeted her in his own special way.

"You beep lazy woman! Falling asleep on the job, are ya?"

"Whatever took you so long, anyway?" She replied while yawning and getting off the plane, very used to Cid's roughness.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Shera. We ran into a bit of a mess on the way here," Cloud explained. "And, I think we'll need a bigger and faster transport towards Midgar now," he added, looking around at his six companions, and thinking of Shimmer, Vincent and Sephiroth back at Nibelheim.

"Hmm, yes, I think you're right," Shera replied. "I think I can get the crew over to the crash site—"

"I did _not_ crash the Highwind," Cid interrupted.

"—and meanwhile, Reeve can get here with one of his jets and take you and that sick girl Cid mentioned to Midgar," Shera continued, not minding the interruption.

"Reeve has jets?" Barret asked.

"Why, yes. I was there a month or so ago, fixing them up. They should be fully operational by now," Shera said.

"Why the beep didn't you say so in the first place!" Cid demanded.

"Reeve didn't seem very keen on letting the world know just yet," the woman shrugged as she explained this.

"I'll call Reeve and ask him to pick us up at Nibelheim, and to have rooms ready for all of us over at Midgar," Cloud said.

"Swell," Shera said while smiling. "I'll get to work on the Highwind right now." She hopped back into the plane and started the motors while everyone retreated. "I'll call you and let you know how serious the damage is as soon as I can," she said to Cid.

"Thanks. And be careful with her!"

"I will!" She shouted over the engine's roar, and a couple of minutes later, the Tiny Bronco began the flight back towards Rocket Town.

"It's time we left, too," Vincent announced. Cloud held up his hand while speaking with Reeve over the phone. A short while later, the blonde man hanged the phone. "Well?"

"They'll be here in about forty minutes; maybe a bit less if the weather's fair. They'll land right outside Nibelheim with medical equipment, should Shim's condition worsen."

"Let's hurry back to Nibelheim, then," Aerith said. "It's getting dark and they must be worried about us."

Everyone agreed and they set out for Nibelheim.

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Little less than an hour later, Reeve and Reno arrived to Nibelheim in a navy blue jet, equipped, as promised, with medical equipment and food. As everyone got on board, Reeve greeted Vincent effusively, while Reno limited himself to shaking hands with the ex-Turk.

By the time Cloud and the others reached Nibelheim, Shimmer was still quite stable. But her condition worsened on the way to Midgar. She developed a mild fever, and she felt as though her skin was burning. Vincent and Sephiroth wanted to believe it was due to Craig's attacks, but Aerith knew better. She was no physician, of course, but she knew magic spells didn't have that sort of effect without physical manifestation, and such was Shimmer's case. She cast Healing Wind on her from time to time to calm the burning sensation, but after a while that wasn't working so well. Their only hope was Daemon and Yuffie's speedy return.

The trip back to Midgar took about an hour because there were some clouds over the Junon area, but all in all, there were no incidents. As soon as they arrived to Midgar, they moved in to the ShinRa building, were most of them went to sleep, leaving only Aerith, Cloud, Reeve, Sephiroth and both Vincents awake to keep an eye on Shimmer. It wasn't until then that the two men named Vincent had a chance to talk with each other. It was Shimmer's boyfriend who looked for his homologous.

He found him sitting on a chair outside Shimmer's room, head and crossed arms resting over his chest, apparently sleeping. But when he approached him, his eyes opened. "Yes?"

"I… I would like a word with you, if you don't mind."

"I don't."

The researcher sat down on the chair next to the gunman's, and leant forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "It's… I just want to thank you for looking after Shim," he began, looking at the floor. "When we first got here and Cloud told us that monster had kidnapped her, there was this nasty voice at the back of my head telling me it was all over. I thought she was all alone, defenceless… especially when Cloud gave me this," he said, taking Shimmer's gun out of his jacket's inner pocket. "I believe the doppelganger chose to use you as a means to get to her because of her relationship to me, and… well, I suppose I want to apologize for any trouble this might've caused you."

"As I told her, there is no need to apologize. You two couldn't help to fall in love with each other, and the fact that you and I are the same person, at least apparently, was mere chance. It could've been anyone else."

"Yes, that is quite true. All the same, you helped her even when you had no need to, and for that I am grateful."

"All I'll say regarding that is that I saw myself in her, and couldn't let her make the same mistakes I committed years ago."

"What do you mean?"

"It'd be best if you asked her when she recovers. For once, I feel like I can put an end to that chapter of my life and, perhaps, move on."

"I understand."

They remained in silence for a few moments, and then Sephiroth came out from Shimmer's room, visibly concerned and tired. "What is it?" asked his fellow researcher, standing up.

Sephiroth sat on the chair that Vincent had just vacated and rubbed his face with both hands. "Her fever has worsened and she's hallucinating, Vincent. Whatever that monster did, it's speeding up the virus' process in a terrifying way. Unless Daemon and Yuffie get here within the next four to six hours, we're going to lose her."

Vincent ran his hand through his hair, leaning against the wall and slumping on the floor. "I can't believe this…"

The ex-Turk looked towards Sephiroth, thinking. "Can't we give her some sort of medicine to break down the fever?"

Sephiroth shook his head, sighing. "No, that wouldn't be wise. Although they look just like regular human beings, Observers have a different metabolism. If we give her something now, we risk fuelling the virus and making it stronger. Or worse yet, faster."

Aerith and Cloud exited the room a little while after, also visibly concerned and exhausted. "How is she doing?" their travelling companion asked.

"A little better," Aerith said, wiping a few sweat beads from her forehead. "Fever's still a bit high, but the hallucinations have diminished. I don't think I can keep her stable much longer, though. Magic doesn't work anymore, and my skills are beginning to be useless, as well."

"You should rest," Vincent – the one from the other planet – said. "After all you've done, it's not only fair, but necessary, too."

"Someone must stay with her," Cloud said, "and you and Sephiroth need to rest, as well."

"I can do it," the man with the metal claw said.

"Are you sure?" the other Vincent asked.

"Yes. I've a feeling Daemon and Yuffie will return soon enough. And if I need any help, I can get one of you guys. But, I should be able to manage on my own."

"Alright. Just make sure to keep her cool and comfortable, and if you need anything, just call me. I'm on the room next door." Aerith kissed his forehead and hugged him. "Thank you, Vincent."

"No problem," he said, standing up and entering the girl's room. "Get some rest, all of you."

"Will do," Sephiroth replied. "And, thank you."

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She had nightmares all through her illness. They were the kind of nightmares in which one saw herself as another person, and when one was aware that everything was a dream. But, as it often happens in such dreams, Shimmer couldn't pull herself out of it, but was forced to watch helplessly as all sort of horrifying things happened before her mind's eye.

It started, as it often did, with her parent's death. Again, the doppelgangers were faceless, and it was then that she knew Craig had been defeated. This mattered little in the dream, as it went the exact same way it had gone for the past ten years. Their village had been assaulted during the night, and her parents had made sure she and her brother could escape. In a moment of sheer panic, she saw herself as she disobeyed her mother's orders and looked back, just in time to see the doppelgangers slitting her parents' throats open, their crimson blood dampening their clothes, staining the walls, and splattering all over the place.

She screamed in terror, both her younger dream-self, and her present-day omniscient self. Her brother had to grab her arm and drag her out of the village, the flames consuming everything they had ever known and loved. As though it were a video, the dream fast-forwarded to the day she and her brother left their planet after a heated discussion with the elders concerning the race's isolation and eventual downfall.

Fast-forward again, and she now was at the ShinRa Headquarters, explaining Reeve her plans of finding an alternate energy source for the planet, and everything she could tell him about the Observers and the Shifters. Fast-forward once more and she was facing Vincent for the first time in the planet where Aerith still lived, and where she found how to revive the other Aerith. But unlike the real first time, things went very wrong, and a doppelganger

_Craig he'd been after you all along you knew it and didn't do anything_

followed her all the way over there, killing Vincent, Sephiroth, Cloud and Aerith, and eliminating any chances she might've had to revive this world's Aerith.

The dream shifted again, and she was standing trial at the Elders' Council back home. Her brother had already been found guilty of all charges – treason, disobedience, conspiracy – and killed. It was now her turn and there was nothing she could say to change the elders' minds. She was hanged at court.

Here she woke with a start, gasping and sitting bolt upright on the bed, sobbing and sweating, her body red with fever. She felt a cold hand sliding on top of hers, and she screamed and jumped out of bed. When she looked at the dark figure standing next to her bed, she saw a faceless doppelganger with a knife in its bloodstained hand.

"Get away from me!" she yelled, covering her ears with her hands and falling to her knees on the floor.

Vincent, who had seen her through most of her nightmares, slowly raised his hands, palms extended, for her to see they were empty. "It is alright, Shimmer, it's me, Vincent."

All she heard was indistinct sounds that made no sense to her, and she yelled once more. "Leave me alone! Why are you doing this to me?"

The ex-Turk then understood that she wasn't seeing him, but someone – something – else. He slowly walked around the bed and approached her, speaking softly to her. "Shimmer, it is me, Vincent Valentine. Remember me? Remember the basement?"

'Valentine' and 'basement' were the only words that made any sense to her, and something seemed to click at the back of her head. "Who are you? What do you want?"

He was only a couple of steps away from her now, and decided to kneel. "Vincent Valentine. I am your friend."

She began rocking back and forth, arms tightly wrapped around her, tears running down her cheeks. "What have you done to my mom and dad?"

"I didn't do anything to them; I never even met them."

"Liar! You killed my parents!" She stood up and tried to hit him, but he was faster than her and managed to pull her down, sit behind her and wrap his arms around her. "Let go of me! Let go, god damn it!"

Right then, Aerith, Cloud and Vincent came rushing in, obviously alarmed. "What happened?" Aerith asked.

"She was having a nightmare, and then she woke up and didn't recognize me," Vincent said, struggling with the young woman, trying to get her back into the bed. "She's asking about her parents; seemingly, she thinks I killed them."

Cloud and Vincent helped him get her to bed, and they had to tie her arms and legs down so she wouldn't hurt them or herself. Aerith rushed back to her room to fetch a Tranquilizer, which they managed to get down her throat after much effort. At first, they thought it wouldn't work, but a couple of minutes later, she was already sleeping again, and, apparently, the nightmares did not return.

Aerith sat next to the bed, washing Shimmer's face with cold water, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Why anyone would want to do this to someone as kind as her, it's beyond me…" She muttered. "It's just…" Her voice broke and two tears slid down her face.

Cloud placed his hands on her shoulders, squeezing gently. "She'll be alright, love, you'll see. Daemon and Yuffie will be here soon."

"I hope so," she said, wiping the tears away.

"You should go back to bed," Vincent said, untying Shimmer. "I'll get some more Tranquilizers in here, and keep her calm while you rest."

"Are you sure?" Shimmer's boyfriend asked. "You seem tired, too. Maybe you should sleep some."

The ex-Turk scoffed, shaking his head slowly. "Sleep is something I don't think I'll be craving anytime soon."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Vincent spent thirty years confined in a coffin at the mansion in Nibelheim," Cloud explained. "It's a long story, which we might tell you about later on."

"There's a lot of things about him I would like to find out… but he doesn't seem keen on speaking of it, at least not to me."

"Cloud and I know what he's been through, to a certain extent. Not only because he shared his story with us once, but because we were also victims of experiments by the same twisted man. It doesn't surprise me that he doesn't want to talk about it… I know I probably wouldn't do it, either." Aerith set the towel aside and brushed some stray strands of hair away from Shimmer's face, sighing. "I'll stay here. We can ask Reeve to bring a mattress or something, and I'll sleep here. I don't think she'll get any better, and it'll become a difficult task for one person alone. No offence meant, of course."

"None taken, especially not from you," Cloud said. "I'll go see about those mattresses," he said.

"I'll go with you," the man with the metal claw said.

They both left the room, and a couple of minutes later, Shimmer opened her eyes. She looked around her, obviously not knowing where she was. Her gaze then focused on Aerith, and she asked, "Which one are you?"

"Which one what?"

"Which Aerith? The one who died or the one who didn't?"

Aerith smiled, and said, "The one who died. Also, the one you helped bring back to life."

Shimmer smiled – a weary yet satisfied smile. "Good. For a moment I thought it had all been a dream… that I was still back at Alpha."

"Alpha?"

"That's the name of the place Vincent's at…" she replied.

"No, I am here," Vincent said, sitting next to her.

She turned towards him and frowned, then said, "Wait… I'd already seen you, hadn't I?" Vincent nodded, and she smiled weakly. "It's still very good to see you again…" She closed her eyes and concentrated. "I'm very ill, am I not?" Aerith sighed, and nodded. "Have I been hallucinating?"

"Yes, dear," Vincent said, taking her hand in his. "It's been a bit rough, too."

"Have I hurt anyone?" Vincent explained her last fit, and she sighed. "I don't remember any of that… I'm sorry I'm being such a trouble."

"It's not your fault," Aerith said. "This was Craig's doing."

"I'm sorry I called him upon you at the fields. Did he give you a hard time?" Shimmer asked.

"Only at first," Aerith answered. "It got a bit easier when Cloud and the rest joined up with us."

"You did kill him, didn't you?"

"Yes, we did. Daemon and Yuffie should be safe enough, don't worry."

"How long have they been gone?"

"I really can't tell," Aerith said, shaking her head. "About six hours or so."

"And how much longer do I have?" Aerith looked into Vincent's eyes, and by the expression in them, Shimmer knew the answer. She sighed and covered her eyes with her hand. "That bad, huh?"

"Seph said that if your brother doesn't get back here with the antidote in about four hours, it'll all be over…" Vincent explained. Shimmer nodded and sighed. "Is there anything we can do in the meantime to slow the virus down?"

"No… if it hadn't been tampered with, there could be a way, but now I'm not even sure how everything's supposed to go." She chuckled bitterly and punched the bed. "Damn it!"

Aerith took Shimmer's hand in hers and caressed it gently. "It's okay, dear, your brother—"

"Will probably get here too late, if he gets here at all. It wouldn't surprise me if he got caught by the elders, sent to trial and then hanged…"

"Shimmer, don't say that…"

"I hate to be pessimistic, Vincent, but—" Pain shot through her head, white and searing.

Before Vincent or Aerith had a chance to ask her what was happening, a huge ruckus could be heard outside the room, apparently coming from the end of the hall. While Shimmer battled her head-ache, Vincent ran outside the room to find out the reason behind the scandal while Aerith tried to help Shimmer.

Gunshots could be heard from outside, making Aerith very nervous. Still, she did not dare leave her friend's side. As it turned out, that wasn't necessary, for not five minutes after Vincent left, the other Vincent came rushing into the room, closely followed by Sephiroth, whom was carrying a small black suitcase. Vincent had his gunshot in his hands, and began reloading it as he leant against the door.

"What's going on out there?" Aerith asked as Sephiroth rushed to the bed, opening the suitcase. "And what's that?"

"Daemon and Yuffie got here," Vincent said. "But they didn't get here alone. Seemingly, a small unit from the Observers' army tagged along. And, that's the antidote," he said, motioning towards Sephiroth with his head. Just then there was a loud, insistent bang on the door. "Password!" Vincent bellowed, readying his gun.

"Mog farm!" Came Vincent and Cloud's voices.

The gunman opened the door, closing it hastily behind them. "How's it going?"

Cloud and Vincent sat on the floor, panting and trying to catch their breath. Finally, Cloud answered, "Barret and the others pushed them towards the floor bellow, and Daemon will try to send them back home as soon as he fixes his bracelet thing. How's that going, Sephiroth?"

"I'm no physician, but the instructions in here are quite clear. We just need to let it simmer down for a couple of minutes more, and then we can inject it. But, we'll need to double our watches."

"Why, what's wrong?" Aerith asked, and Sephiroth handed him a small booklet while he observed the concoction. "Oh my god…"

"What?" Vincent, the researcher, asked.

"Side effects of the antidote include high fevers, dehydration, and sever head aches. She could also fall into a comma."

"But, it'll kill the virus, won't it?" Cloud asked.

"Allegedly," Sephiroth replied. "But, her case is special, and I dare say rare. I don't know if the antidote will be effective enough given her situation."

"It'll have to be," Vincent, the gunman, said.

"What happened to those mattresses?" Aerith asked.

"Oh, that," Cloud said. "There are no mattresses, but Reeve says there are extra blankets and pillows beneath the bed and in the closet. We can arrange something with that."

"Not that any of us will be able to get much sleep, I think," Vincent said.

Sephiroth got the syringe ready and, after looking at everyone around him, said, "This is it." He prepared Shimmer's arm and then injected the blue liquid into her system. "And now, we wait."

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In the end, Daemon managed to drive the Observers away, and returned around four hours after Sephiroth administered the antidote to Shimmer. He looked pretty beaten up, but rather well, in spite of it. He said he had to leave again, otherwise the army would return with reinforcements to arrest him for theft and insurrection, amongst many other numerous charges. But, before parting, he left a new Shifter for his sister, one that would allow her to move back to Vincent's planet, should we choose to do so. Then he left, and none of them saw him again.

As for Shimmer, the wait was long and extenuating. Her fever, indeed, worsened, and so did her nightmares. There was a point when she had to be tied down again, for she was trashing about the bed, kicking and punching air, yelling incoherencies and sometimes talking in a weird language. Finally, after nearly eight hours of agonizing wait and fits, she fell into a calm slumber, and was soon enough joined by Aerith, Cloud, Sephiroth, and her boyfriend, who, for the first time since they'd found Shimmer, had a chance to go to their own rooms to rest up without being interrupted.

Vincent was the only one to stay awake and watch her through the whole night and part of the morning. He washed her face and arms, and sighed in relief when, after a very long time, her fever began to break, and her face relaxed. And, for the first time in more than thirty years, he smiled a genuinely happy smile as he softly caressed Shimmer's temple with his knuckles.

"I just hope you're not falling for her, buddy," Cid's voice came from the door.

Vincent scoffed softly and leant back on his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "No, I promised myself I wouldn't do that ever again," he whispered

Cid walked towards him and took a seat next to him. "'Ever again' is a bit of a long time, don'tcha think?" Vincent gave him a sideways knowing look, and the pilot shrugged. "I'm just sayin'."

"You know me more than the rest, Cid, so you more than anyone should know how wrong that statement is."

"Yeah, maybe. Look, I'm not gonna tell you how to live your life or anything, all I'm saying is, you should give yourself a chance. Lucrecia doesn't have to be the end of the line for you." Vincent raised his left arm, and Cid held up his hand. "Don't start with that, Vince."

"I won't, I just thought I'd remind you of one of many little details that do not allow me to 'give myself a chance'."

"What're you going to do now, then?"

"There are a lot of things in my past that I need to know the truth about, so I think I'll keep looking for information. It's what I was doing when my identity was stolen."

Just then Shimmer stirred in her bed, mumbling something, and Cid said, "Oh, darn, we woke her up."

They did, indeed. Shimmer slowly opened her eyes and looked around the room, disoriented and groggy. It took her a while to gather her thoughts and remember where she was and what had happened during the last few days. When her eyes locked on Vincent's and then on Cid's, it all fell into place. She smiled and said, "Hey."

"Hey kid, how you doin'?"

"I know who you are, and where I am, so I'd say it's all peachy," she joked. "I'm just sore all over."

"Yeah, well, stayin' in bed for such a long time will do that to ya. Just ask Vince here," Cid said, patting his friend's arm. Shimmer giggled, and then coughed. "Whoa, there, easy girl. I don't think you're completely okay yet."

Vincent gave her a glass of water while Cid helped her sit up. "Thanks, guys. So, I suppose Daemon made it in time, after all. Where is he now?"

"He said he had to leave to avoid having your planet's army following him here again," Vincent said, standing up. We went to the closet and got out Shimmer's backpack, which Elena had held on to since they'd found it at the Crystal City, and the Shifter Daemon had left for Shimmer. "He asked us to give you this, though. He said you can go back to Vincent's planet with it if you want. Also, he mentioned something about the elders not being able to track you down with it."

Shimmer took her bag and the Shifter, which looked a lot like a cell phone, and smiled. "He probably stole this from Silia's lab while getting the antidote. That kid's asking for a jail ticket. Did he say where he was heading? Oh, never mind, of course he didn't… that would've been silly." She sighed and ran her hand through her head.

"You alright, kid?"

"Yeah… just overwhelmed. I can't believe I've caused so many people so much trouble."

"You haven't caused anyone any trouble," Vincent repeated. "Each and every one of us involved in this is involved out of their own free will. Don't blame yourself for things out of your reach… again, take it from someone who knows."

Shimmer smiled, and took his hand on hers. "Thanks, Vincent… speaking of which, where are Sephiroth and Vince?"

"Sleeping, but I think I could get them for you."

"No, it's alright. I'd like to take a shower and change my clothes before seeing them. Not that it matters much, if they saw me raving like a lunatic."

Cid and Vincent stood up, and the ex-Turk said, "Very well. The bathroom is behind that door, and that's the wardrobe. Vincent's room is right across the hall from yours. I'll be at Reeve's office on the floor above if you need me."

"And I'll be with him, making sure he doesn't start making plans to return to a coffin." Vincent glared at him, and Cid patted his back and pushed him towards the door. "C'mon, vamp boy, time to leave the lady alone."

"I am _not_ a vampire, Highwind."

"Heh, you could've fooled me."

**_.,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- _**

About an hour later, Shimmer had showered and put on fresh clothes. The first thing she did before going to see Vincent was pack her stuff, and try out the Shifter her brother had left for her. After making sure she could, indeed, return to Vincent's planet and bring him and Sephiroth along with her, she crossed the hall and slowly opened Vincent's door.

She found him lying on his side, still wearing the clothes he'd arrived in. Shimmer noticed the bags under his eyes and the complete mess his hair was, and sighed. She walked over to his bed and lay on the bed next to him, facing him and taking one of his hands in hers. "Vince?"

He opened his eyes slowly and smiled when he saw her so refreshed and healthy-looking. "Hey, there. Feeling better already?"

"Yeah, somewhat."

Vincent propped his head on his arm, and looked at her confused and slightly alarmed. "Somewhat? What do you mean, didn't the antidote work?"

"No, no, it did, don't worry about that."

"Then what do you mean?"

"I… oh, I don't know. I suppose I just got a bit depressed after the illness and stuff. I'll be fine, don't worry."

"Maybe returning home with Seph and me will make you feel better." Shimmer shrugged. "What is it? Don't you want to come back with us?"

"I do. It's just I'm not sure it's safe for you, Seph, and everyone back there."

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"I've been having nightmares… I know most of them were induced by the virus, and though they were very bad, they mostly showed things from my past. But… there are some other things that just…"

"What kind of things?"

Shimmer sighed and sat on the bed, facing the sheets. "I dreamt that Craig followed me to your planet, and there was a voice telling me I knew he'd been following me all along. And then he… he killed you and Seph, and Cloud and Aerith, too… Then Daemon was killed by the elders, and then I was in trial, too, and they killed me, too…" Vincent sat down, too, and wrapped his arms around her, but before he could say anything, she went on. "I know they're dreams I had while ill, but, Vince, what if they're more than that? What if, I don't know, Craig's virus did something else to me and I'm having visions or something?"

"Honey, listen, you're not having visions. Neither your brother nor you will stand trial, and neither of you will be hanged or burnt at the stake or anything of the sort."

"How can you be so sure?" she asked, turning around to face him.

"Because Daemon got rid of nearly ten soldiers on his own, and because Seph, Cloud and I are not going to let them get to you. That's how I know."

"But you don't know them; you don't know what they're capable of doing. That stunt with my Shifter was nothing for them. And they're probably even more upset now that Daemon stole not only an antidote, but a new Shifter prototype."

"Dear, you shouldn't worry so much."

"Well, I do!" She said, standing up and walking away from the bed. "I don't want to be a hazard for everyone around me! I don't want to keep running away and hiding from shape shifters like some animal! And as long as those things keep being a factor in my life, I'll worry…!" Vincent stood up and held her while she sobbed. "I don't want to die… and I don't want you or anyone else to die because of me… it's not fair."

Vincent caressed her hair and kissed her forehead. "I know it's not fair, and I know it bothers you. But you can't live the rest of your life afraid of things that are not in your control… And, believe me; we're not going to let them get to you. You mean so much for us…"

Shimmer hugged him tight and sighed. "I know… Still, there are things I need to see to before settling down and leave my worries behind."

"We'll be with you every step of the way, no matter whom or what comes our way."

"You promise?"

"I swear," he said, and they kissed.

**_.,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- _**

By the next day's morning, Shimmer was feeling a whole lot better, and everyone had a chance to recover after what they had come to call 'the Craig issue'. Even though Vincent and Sephiroth were very interested in hearing everybody's stories – especially Vincent and Cloud's, as well as everything about the Cetra – Shimmer insisted on leaving as soon as possible, as to prevent her planet's army to come barging in again.

Before leaving, however, she had a small chat with Vincent, the ex-Turk, at his room.

"Could I talk to you for a moment?" she asked, popping her head into the room through the slightly open door. Vincent nodded and motioned for her to come inside. She did and sat next to him on the bed, watching as he cleaned his Death Penalty, the rest of his gun collection – recently retrieved from Rocket Town by Shera – waited all around the bed. "That's your favourite gun, isn't it?"

"Indeed it is. How did you know?"

"I saw you clean the revolvers you found back at Nibelheim, and you didn't do it as carefully as you're doing it now. There's some sort of reverence in you now that wasn't there before."

Vincent nodded, still cleaning. "So, what will you do when you return to Vincent's planet?"

"Rest a bit from all these comings and goings. Try to contact my brother, see how he's doing. Then I'll try to fix some stuff from my past."

"About your parents' deaths?"

"Yes… how did you know?"

"When you were hallucinating, you asked me what had I done to your parents, and right after that, you accused me of murdering them. I assumed you might have unresolved issues regarding that."

Shimmer bowed her head and sighed. "Yeah, Vince and Aerith told me about that. And yes, I do have unresolved issues concerning that. I want to know who murdered them, and why we're being hunted as though we were game or something."

"It's always important to clear one's past up, but don't let it consume you."

"I won't, don't worry about that. So, did she give you that shotgun?"

"Who?"

"The woman Cid mentioned when you were talking yesterday. I don't remember her name." Vincent raised an eyebrow and looked at her curiously. "I wasn't eavesdropping or anything," she hastened to explain. "I listened to some of the things you said between sleep and awake, is all." When she saw Vincent regained his composure again, she insisted. "Did she, then?"

"In a way, yes," he replied. "It was a parting gift of sorts."

"Is it because of her that you slept for so long? That you were atoning?"

"Partly, yes. Mostly, even."

"What happened?"

"I was young and foolish, and made a huge mistake with the one woman I've ever loved… and her child. Then there were the experiments Hojo performed on me and… I suppose I didn't handle things very well. But, I think that I can now close that chapter of my life and get on with it."

Shimmer smiled. "That's good to hear. I'm sure you'll find someone soon enough, if you allow yourself to."

"I don't think I want to look for someone just yet."

"As long as you don't completely dismiss the possibility, it'll be fine."

Vincent smiled weakly, and looked at her. "You have no idea how much like Cid and Aerith you sound."

The young woman giggled. "Well, three people say it, so it can't be wrong."

Vincent's eyes darkened again. "I'm afraid it can be."

"Listen, if it's about the arm and the monsters and the possibility of semi-eternal youth—"

"It's mainly about that, yes."

"—then stop worrying about it. If she loves you, she'll overlook all that. Your friends do. I do."

"You're all extraordinary people. There aren't a lot of people like you around, so I'd rather stay on the safe side."

"What happened to not letting your past consume you?"

He began putting his shotgun back together, and simply said, "It is for the best."

"No, it's not… you should really give yourself a chance, Vince… you can't be alone forever."

"I won't always be alone."

"But you need a partner in life… how else are you going to weather the bad times? Who are you going to turn to when you have some important news to share?" Vincent stood up and stored the Death Penalty on a large wooden box. "Vincent, don't ignore the questions like that…"

"Shimmer, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but you don't know me enough to suggest I go out there and try to find a partner. But I suppose that even if you did know me well enough, like Cid those, the suggestion would still stand, wouldn't it?"

"Yes, it would. And, maybe you're right," she said, standing up and placing a reassuring hand on his arm. "All I know is you were really kind to me during these past few days. You looked after me, tended to me during my illness, gave me advice… That's pretty much what every girl wants in a partner. Whatever inner demons are holding you back – and I don't mean your transformations – you should get rid of them. It's not healthy."

"You do realize I'm not him, don't you?"

Shimmer sighed and nodded. "Yes, I do realize that. But I hope you realize that across planets, there is always something akin to all alternate people. It's not always the good stuff, sadly enough. But, in this case, it is." She reached up and kissed his cheek gently. "I'll go say goodbye to the rest and let you finish up with your guns." She walked towards the door, but was stopped by Vincent's hand on her shoulder. "Yes?" She said while turning around.

"Thank you," he said simply. "For believing in me, for whatever reasons you may have." He then did something that surprised not only Shimmer, but himself, as well. He kissed her forehead. "I'll go see you off in a bit, alright?"

Shimmer nodded, feeling her cheeks blush slightly. "Sure, fine." She then left the room.

Vincent stood where he was, staring at his metal arm, opening and closing the hand. He sighed and shook his head, then returned to the bed to clean the rest of his guns.

**_.,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- .,- _**

It was midday when Shimmer, Seph and Aerith prepared to part. The whole team who fought against Sephiroth, as well as the Turks, Shera, Elmyra and Marlene were there to see them off at the outskirts of Midgar. Shimmer hugged everyone again, wishing them good luck and asking them to take care. They wished her and her two companions the same. When it was Vincent's turn, he was the one to hug her tightly and whisper something in her ear that made her giggle.

"Good for you!" She said.

After everyone had said their goodbyes, thank yous and pieces of advice, Sephiroth and Vincent stood at either side of Shimmer while she pressed a few buttons on the Shifter, and a small portal appeared behind them.

"Hey, I thought you said you vanished like a ghost?" Cloud said.

"That's when you're on your own," Shimmer explained. "Plus, this little gadget here is state-of-the-art technology. It's supposed to be awe inspiring."

"Do you know how it works?" Sephiroth asked.

Shimmer giggled and stuck her tongue out at him. "Nuh uh, I don't. And even if I knew, I wouldn't tell ya." Everyone laughed and Shimmer waved. "Take care, everybody, and thanks for everything. If things go right, we might drop by to visit you sometime in the not so distant future."

"Oh, please do," Aerith said. "It'll be lovely seeing you again."

"So, time to go, guys. You ready?"

"What do we have to do?"

"Just walk into the portal, and we'll arrive safely at the lab."

"Let's hope your brother didn't tamper with this gadget…" Vincent said, making everyone giggle. "Sure, laugh. You didn't end up in the middle of a lake, did you?"

Shimmer rolled her eyes and waved once more. "Bye, guys!"

She then ran into the portal, closely followed by Vincent and Sephiroth. As soon as they passed it completely, the portal closed, and little by little they began to leave. In the end, there were only Aerith, Cloud, Cid and Vincent left.

"So, what was it you told Shimmer, Vince?" Cid asked, lighting a cigarette.

"I said 'I'll give myself a chance'," he replied simply while turning around.

Cid's eyes opened wide, and he laughed out loud. "Finally someone got through that hard head of yours, huh?"

"What does that mean, Cid?" Cloud asked.

"It means ol' gloomy here is in the market, kiddo."

Aerith and Cloud's mouths opened wide, and the flower girl hugged Vincent tightly. "Vincent, that's so wonderful! I'm so happy for you!"

Vincent hugged her back. "I'm only giving myself a chance, it's not like I already found someone."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Cloud said. "Cid, Barret, Reno, Rude and I can help you with that, no problem."

"Sure!" Cid chimed in. "But, you should enjoy the life of the bachelor before taking the plunge, unlike spikey here."

"Yeah, well, at least I took the plunge, unlike some other friend of ours who's been postponing it since forever."

Vincent then raised an eyebrow and looked at Aerith. "I'm beginning to think this wasn't such a good idea, after all…"

Aerith giggled and patted his arm. "At least you're well trained in hiding techniques." Everyone laughed, and Vincent chuckled softly. "Hey, that's a good start. You're going to do fine, Valentine."

"I hope so," he said.

"So, how about a beer?" Cid said.

"Sure," Cloud said. "Let's _mosey_."

"Would you please stop saying it like a wimp?"

They all laughed, and returned to the City.

The End


End file.
